History of Sacramento County, California, with biographical sketches of the leading men and women of the county who have been identified with its growth and development from the early days to the present;

Gc M. a

979.401

Sal4w

1202793

GENEALOGY COLLECTION

LEN COUNTY PUBLIC I

3 1833 01067 2639

HISTORY OF

Sacramento County .

PALIFORNIA

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

The Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been Identified

With Its Growth and Development From the Early

Days to the Present

HISTORY BY

WILLIAM L. WILLIS

k.

979. ¥Of
So. t*fi*i

ILLUSTRATED
COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME

HISTORIC RECORD COMPANY

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

(19131

1202793

PREFACE

What is termed "history" is made up of several factors, which
sometimes move concurrently and sometimes are divergent. There
are many matters of record, which of course are not disputable, but
in the recital of which the narrative is tinctured by the opinions or
prejudices of the narrator or the historian or of the source of his
information. Tradition and personal recollection play another large
part in history, and things that are accepted for decades and even for
centuries as facts become in the course of time a matter of dispute and
even of rejection. The path of the historian therefore is not one of
roses. If he be wise he will as far as possible submit each statement
to the test of scrutiny and comparison and hold fast to that which he
considers as proven, or if he does not reject it, state that the matter is
not fully authenticated.

Had the writer been far-seeing, when he came to California in
187-1-, he would have jotted down the i:)ersonal recollections and experi-
ences of a large number of the pioneers with whom he became ac-
quainted and who were then in the prime of a vigorous life and with
a vivid recollection of what they had passed through and of the condi-
tions they found prevailing here when they arrived. Some of these
men came as early as 1846 before the discovery of gold, and he has
listened for hours to their tales of adventure and experience, but did
not at that time realize that the lips that recited them would one day
l)e stilled in death and many important matters connected with the
early history of the state would be buried in oblivion. A book em-
bodying these recollections would have been a most fascinating work,
for a glamour always hangs over the history of the days of the Argo-
nauts that seems to grow in interest as time progresses. Many of
these reminiscences were probably tinged with romance, but that
hardly lessened their interest.

In the compilation of this volume the writer has endeavored to
present facts collated by him, without bias or prejudice, and as nearly
authenticated as possible. Perhaps some statements may provoke
criticism from those who hold a different point of view, or who have
received information conflicting with them; and it would be too much
to expect that the book would be entirely free from faults or defects,
but he can truly say that he has done his best with the resources at
his command and sifted the evidence to the best of his ability, and can
only ask the indulgence of the public with regard to his shortcomings.

In the compilatiou of this work, the author has consulted a number
of authorities, and had the valuable assistance of a number of persons
in collecting data. The works of Dr. Morse, Thompson and West, and
Winfield J. Davis have been drawn upon freely, as have those of
other authorities. To Hon. W. A. Anderson he is indebted for the
valuable chapter on "The Bench and Bar," and other reminiscences,
and to E. B. Willis, N. E. White, J. A. Woodson and others for
suggestions and information. In a work of this kind it is impossible
to incorporate all incidents, however interesting to the parties con-
cerned, and where it has not been practicable to secure accurate data,
some things have been omitted, rather than run the risk of incor-
rect statement. He therefore trusts that the public will accept the
work in the spirit in which it was written.

W. L. Willis.

CONTENTS

Introditctory 5

Sacramento the Peer of any County in California — Her Part in History of
State Important— A Second Valley of the Nile— Splendid Soil Sprinkled
with Gold Dust — Great Crops Shipped Abroad — Here Began Real History
of California — Hither Came Argonauts of 1S49 — Deer and Antelope Then to
be Seen— Wild Oats Taller Than Man's Head— Sparsely Settled Plains-
Remarkable Transformation Made by Citizens.

CHAPTER I

Sacramento County 10

Location — Tonnage on River — Fertility of Soil — Growing of Fruit — Soil and
Streams — Necessity of Levees — Water Available for Factories — Raising
of Wheat Superseded by Horticulture — Asparagus and Celery Profitable
on Tule Lands — Old Spanish Grants — Present Property Valuations — The
Capital City a Place of Beauty — Many Attractions for Visitors — Steam and
Electric Railroads Increasing in Number.

CHAPTER II

Mining 1(5

Discovery of Gold — Early Process of Mining with Shovel and Pick — Latest
Methods of Dredging — ^Shall Dredger Mining be Regulated by State —
Hydraulic Process Opposed by Orchardists — Finally Prohibited by Legis-
lature.

CHAPTER III

Climate ]7

Snow Never Seen Except upon Distant Sierras — Temperature Compared with
Southern Italy and Los Angeles — Cherries Usually Blossom in February
and Ripen in April — Average Rainfall — Sunstroke Unknown — Summer
Evenings Delightful — Oranges Shipped Earlier than in Southern California-
Sacramento Rainfall Monthly, Seasonal and Annual from 1S49 to 1912 —
Sacramento Temperature Average Since 1S7S — Relative Humidity — Per-
centage of Sunstroke — Extreme Temperatures — Extremes of Wind.

CHAPTER IV

Gen. John A. Sutter 30

Early Life — Travels in West — Agreement with Governor Alvarado — Settle-
ment on the American River in 1839 — Proximity to Digger Indians — Declared
a Mexican Citizen in 1841 — Given a Grant to New Helvetia — American Flag
Hoisted in 1846 — ^Kindness to the Immigrants — Heavy Losses by Desertion
of Laborers and by Thefts — Tardy Recognition of His Services by State.

CHAPTER V

The Fort Restored _ 34

First Effort at Restoration — Public-Spirited Work of General Martlne — Enter-
prise Promoted by Native Sons — Pioneers Also Active in Work — Present
Condition of Fort.

CHAPTER VI

The Discovery of Gold _ 37

Early Explorers Referred to Presence of Gold — Cause of Immigration of
Mormons to West — Settlement on Mormon Island — Gold Mined There —
Other Reports from Explorers — Marshall's Discovery Accidental — His Later
Life — The Results of the Discovery — First White Child Born in California.

CHAPTER VII

City and County Elections , -11

First Election — Officers Chosen — Hardin Biglow the First Mayor — First
Meeting of Council — Success of Biglow in Preventing Disastrous Flood in
1850 — Growth of Business — Report of Assessor — Decline of Valuations —
Sacramento Incorporated February 27, 18S0 — Boundaries Defined— New

CONTENTS

Charter Granted 1851 — Date of Elections — Amount of Salaries — Tax for
Support of Free Schools — Consolidation of City and County Government —
Repeal of First Act — Adoption of New Charter — Horace Smith Second Mayor
— Later Elections.

CHAPTER VIII

The Squatter Eiot 49

Cause of the Trouble — History of the Affair — Leading Participants in the
Riot.

CHAPTER IX

First Things 55

First Mail Received in Sacramento — First Directory — First Prison Brig —
First Store at Sutter's Fort — First Census — First Paper — First Banquet —
First Ball— First Railroad — First Agricultural Association — First Frame and
First Brick Houses in Sacramento — First Fire Department — First Street
Cars — First Court House — First Criminal Trial.

CHAPTER X

The Revolution 61

Conditions Culminating in the Revolution — The Bear Flag Party — Ide's
Proclamation — Making of the First Bear Flag — American Flag Hoisted at
Monterey.

CHAPTER XI
Ix THE Beginning 65

Founding of Suttervllle — Eclipsed by Sacramento — Description of City by

Bayard Taylor — Freighting to the Mines — High Cost of Living — Commis-
sioners Elected — Gaming Prevalent — Influence of Clergymen Beneficial —
Organization of City Government — Burdens of Early Councils — Sufferings of
Penniless Newcomers — Odd Fellows and Masons Prompt to Relieve Desti-
tution— January Flood of 18.50 — Admission of California to the Union — Epi-
demic of Cholera — Disasters Overcome by People.

CHAPTER XII

Political 81

Democratic Convention of 1854 — Dissention and Dispute — Mass Meeting
of Republicans — State Convention of New Party — The Spittoon Convention —
Governor Foote of Mississippi Prominent in Public Life.

CHAPTER XIII

County Government — : 87

Organization of County in 1850 — Its Boundaries — Elections — Officers.

CHAPTER XIV

City Officers - 97

List of City Officials from 1849 — Mayor Wounded in Squatter Riot — City and
County Consolidated from 1858 to 1862 — City Governed by Board of Trus-
tees (3) from 1863 to 1894 — New Charter Adopted in 1894 — Trustees In-
creased to Nine.

CHAPTER XV

Floods 105

Reclamation of River Lands Costly — Efforts of Aborigines to Provide Safety
from Floods — Overflow of 1850 — Levee Hurriedly Built by Biglow — Flood
of 1852— Optimism of People — Flood of 1853 Less Destructive — Heavy Mis-
fortunes Attending Flood of 1861 — Another Flood Early in 1862 — J and K
Streets Raised for Protection Against Floods — Last Flood of Any Conse-
quence in 1904.

CHAPTER XVI

Sacramento County Senators - - - 117

Changes in Districts — John Bidwell Elected Senator in 1849— Republican
Nominee for Governor in 187.5 — Prohibition Nominee for Governor in 1890
and for President in 1892 — Elisha O. Crosby a Senator in 1849 — Henry E.
Robinson a Prominent Pioneer Legislator — Bequeathed Large Sum to the
Poor of San Francisco — Ferguson Senator in 1856-58 — Other Pioneer Legis-

CONTENTS

lators — Curtis Senator Three Terms and Assemblyman One Term — Creed
Haymond Senator 18T5-7S— Pioneer Orchardist, Joseph Routier, a Senator in
1883-85— The Popular Judge, Elijah C. Hart, Elected Senator in 1893— Gillis
Doty Elected in 1897— The Pioneer Physician, J. C. McKee, Elected in 1905—
Charles B. Bills Chosen in 1909.

CHAPTER XVII

Sacramento County Assemblymen _ 122

Cornwall Elected to Assembly in 1849 — A Pioneer of 1848 in Sacramento-
Assemblyman Henley a Pioneer Banker — McKinstry Later Justice of the
Supreme Court — Assemblyman Bigler Later Elected Governor of California —
Charles Robinson Later Governor of Kansas — Assemblyman J. Neely
Johnson Governor of California in 1855 — Other Influential Men in Assem-
bly— Contested Election of Charles Buncombe — Charles Crocker an Assem-
blyman in 1861 — Stephens a Member in 1869 — Clunie, Member in 1875, After-
ward Congressman — Judge Anderson Assemblyman in 1893 — Recent Repre-
sentation in Assembly.

CHAPTER XVIII
California State Library

First Steps Toward Library — Gradual Development — Seven Departments — •
Books for the Sightless Sent Throughout the State — County Libraries of
Great Helpfulness.

CHAPTER XIX

City Free Library 133

Association Organized in 1857 — Building Erected in 1872— Turned Over to
City — Leading Papers on Pile — Books Increasing in Number — Library Sup-
ported by Public Tax — Residents of Entire County Given Library Privileges —
Librarian Has Management of Institution.

CHAPTER XX

Government Offices 135

Sacramento Postoffice — Facilities Always Less Than Needs — City Deliv-
ery Service — Rural Service — United States Land Otflce — Internal Revenue
Office— United States Weather Bureau Station.

CHAPTER XXI

Charitable Institutions 137

Need of Relief for Early Emigrants — First Organized Relief Instituted by
Odd Fellows — Hospital Built in 1850 by Masons and Odd Fellows— Other
Pioneer Hospitals — First Public Hospital — County Physicians — Southern Pa-
cific Hospital — Protestant Orphan Asylum — The Marguerite Home — Other
Hospitals — Mater Misericordiae Hospital — Wentworth-Igo Hospital — White
Hospital — Home of the Merciful Saviour — Howard Benevolent Association —
Catholic Ladles' Relief Society No. 1 — The Young Men's Christian Associa-
tion— Cemeteries.

CHAPTER XXII

The Press 147

Monterey Californian First Newspaper of California — California Star Second
Newspaper — Two Papers United in 1848 — Pacific News the Third Newspaper
— Alta California Started in 1849 — Sacramento Transcript Started in 1850 —
First Daily Outside of San Francisco — Consolidated with Placer Times —
Removed to San Francisco — Absorbed into the Alta California — Settlers and
Miners Tribune — Sacramento Index — Sacramento Daily Union — Launched in
1851 — Weekly Started in 1852 — Consolidation of Union and Record — Sunday
Edition Added — Many Expensive Improvements in Union Plant — Democratic
State Journal — Brief Life of a Baptist Paper — California Statesman — Other
Early Sheets — State Tribune Appeared in 1855-56 — Daily Morning Bee Born
February 3, 1857 — Wide Influence of Paper — Many Sheets of Brief Life— Sun-
day Leader First Appeared in 1875 — Occidental Medical Times Started as
Sacramento Medical Times in 1887 — Nord California Herold (German) an
Influential Paper in its Field— Folsom Telegraph an Old and Prominent
Journal — Gait Gazette in Southern End of County — The Sunday News Begun
in 1893 — Now Widely Read and Influential — Tlae Sacramento Star of Modern
Inception and Growing Prosperity.

CFIAPTER XXIII

Educational Matters lfc>5

Schools Have Shown Steady Growth — School in Sacramento in Summer
of 1849— C. T. H. Palmer Taught In August — Rev. J. A. Benton His Suc-
cessor in October — First Public School Opened February 20, 1854 — Attend-
ance Increased Rapidlj — City Schools First Controlled by Assessor —
Accommodations Insufflcient — Colored Schools Apportioned F'unds in 1856 —
Enrollment of One Thousand in All Schools in 18611 — Twelve Hundred Pupils
in 1864 — Fourteen Schools and Fifteen Hundred Pupils in 1866 — School Li-
brary Started in 1867 — Twenty-two Hundred Pupils and Seventeen Schools
by End of 1869— Thirty-four Hundred Pupils Enrolled in 1880- Later
Boards — The High School — The Colored Pupils — Other Items — Sacramento
Business College.

CHAPTER XXIV

Railroads 182

First Railroad in State — Previous Attempts — Judah the First to Demon-
strate Feasibility of Sierra Nevada Route — Convention Held in 1859 — Judah
Sent to Washington to Promote Railroad Enterprise — More Thorough Sur-
veys with Barometer — Judah Discouraged by San Francisco Capitalists —
Stock Largely Subscribed by Sacramento Citizens — Topographical Features
of the Sierras — Government Assistance to Railroad — Donation by California
— Ability of Originators of Movement — First Train Schedule — Celebration at
Shoveling of First Dirt — Equipment for Road — Difficulties Many — Courage
of Promoters Undaunted — Last Spike Driven — Western Pacific Railroad Com-
pany— Other Important Roads — Enthusiasm on Entrance of California Pacific
in Sacramento — The Sacramento Valley Railroad — Various Railroad Enter-
prises—Southern Pacific Shops— First Shop Erected in 1863— Magnitude of
Present Plant — Electric Roads.

CHAPTER XXV

Navigation 201

Sacramento River First Medium of Transportation — Immense Amount of
Traffic on the River — Red Bluff the Head of Navigation — Russians the First
to Navigate the River — Crowning Success with Sailing Vessels in Trip of
the Whiton — Little Sitka the First Steamboat on the River — Voyage of the
Steamer New World — Twenty-eight Steamers on River in 1850 — California
Steam Navigation Company Organized in 1854 — Bought in 1869 by Central
Pacific — Sacramento Wood Company — Sacramento Transportation Com-
pany— California Transportation Company — Farmers Transportation Com-
pany— Explosions Frequent in Early Days — ^Yolo Bridges.

CHAPTER XXVI

Local Judiclvry and Attorneys _, _ 211

Common Law Established in Sacramento — Alcaldes and Justices of the Peace
— Superior Tribunal and Courts of First Instance — Court of Sessions Created
in 1850 — Early Courts Superseded by Superior Court — Jurists Identified
with County — Deceased Attorneys of County — Attorneys Now Practicing
in Sacramento.

CHAPTER XXVII

Members of the Har 219

Early Lawyers Eminent in Public Affairs — B. B. Crocker Supreme Court
Justice and Pounder of Crocker Art Gallery — Governor Johnson — Chief Jus-
tice W. H. Beatty — United States Senator Cornelius Cole — Col. E. D. Baker
Killed in Civil War— H. W. Halleck Commander-in-Chief of Union Army-
Col. E. J. C. Kewen Financial Agent for the Noted William Walker — J. C.
Zabriskie the First City Attorney — Frank D. Ryan, A Native Son, One of
Sacramento's Finest Lawyers — The Name of George Cadwalader Prominent
in Supreme Court Reports— Successful Career of A. C. Freeman — Peter H.
Burnett the First Governor of California — The Genius of Albert M. John-
son— Judge Catlin Influential in Securing State Capitol for Sacramento —
Henry Edgerton, Orator, Statesman, Lawyer — Remembered Now by Pew —
Never Attained the Goal of His Ambition — A Pioneer of 1853 — Prosecuting
Attorney of Napa County — Orator at Reception of General Grant — Presi-
dential Elector — State Senator — N. Greene Curtis a Pioneer of 1850 from
Tennessee — True to Union in Civil War, Senator Several Terms — Counsel
in Many Important Cases — James W. Coffroth, Senator from Old Tuolumne —

CONTENTS ix

Fond of Humor— Helpful to Young Lawyers— John H. McKune a Factor in
Constructing Law and Ethics of California — A Pioneer of Sacramento —
Land Commissioner, State Assemblyman, District Judge and Code Commis-
sioner— Newton Booth, Governor of State — Entertained Many Famous
Guests — William A. Anderson — Success Reached by Sterling Qualities of
Mind and Heart — Resident of Sacramento from 1S49 — City Attorney, As-
semblyman and Police Judge.

CHAPTER XXVIII

Fraternal Societies 246

Masons Among Early Trappers in West — Peter Lassen the First Masonic
Missionary — Connecticut No. T.") the First Lodge in Sacramento — Grand Lodge
of California Organized in 1S50 — Present Lodges of City — Chapter, Council,
Commandery and Scottish Rite — Eastern Star — Colored Lodges — Lodges of
Odd Fellows — Encampment, Grand Canton and Sovereign Grand Lodge —
Rebekahs— Knights of Pythias— I. O. R. M.— A. O. U. W.— U. A. O. D.— N. S.
G. W. — K. of H. — 'Y. M. I. — Hebrew Benevolent Association — Sons of Veter-
ans— Other Organizations.

CHAPTER XXIX

Criminal Records 264

The Fate of Roe — First Lynching In Sacramento — Robbery and Grand Lar-
ceny Punishable with Death in Early Days— Chinaman Hanged for Murder
of His Wife — Other Executions — Unknown Fate of William Wells — Quick
Justice for Murder of Sailor — Killing of OfBcer Scott — Mysterious Murder
of a Rancher on Grand Island — Grocer and Wife Murdered — Escape of
Convicts — A Later Attempt Foiled — A Sicilian Murder.

CHAPTER XXX

The Great Railroad Strike, - 279

Disastrous Results of Strike of 1894 — Begun in Pullman Near Chicago-
Extended to Coast — Baggage and Freight and Mail Delayed — Troops Ordered
Out — Incidents of the 4th of July — Troops Camped in Capitol Park on .5th
of July — More Soldiers on the 11th — Train Wrecked and Several Killed —
Revulsion of Feeling — Trial of Wreckers.

CHAPTER XXXI

The Churches -.-- - 291

Grace Episcopal the First Church in Sacramento — Organization and His-
tory— Foreclosure of Mortgage in 1877 — Organization of St. Paul's— Present
Stone Edifice — Other Episcopal Churches — Roman Catholic Organizations —
Majestic Cathedral the Most Spacious Church in California — First Congre-
gational Church — Presbyterian Churches— Methodist Episcopal Activities
Started by "Father" Owen — German Evangelical Lutheran Organized in 1867
—Handsome Edifice of Scientists— Other Denominations and Their Useful
Services to the Community.

CHAPTER XXXII

Reminiscences - 308

Railroad Building in Early Days — Experiences of James G. Patterson —
Experiences of McConnell as Storekeeper — The Great Ball of 1849 — Refresh-
ments Unique — Interesting Incidents at the Ball.

CHAPTER XXXIII

Township History 317

Township Alabama — American— Brighton — Center — Cosumnes — Dry Creek
— Franklin — Georgiana — Lee — Mississippi — Natoma — San Joaquin — Sutter —
Riverside — Granite — Origin of Local Names — Levees — Funded Debt.

CHAPTER XXXIV

Capital and Capitol..-. 358

Constitutional Convention of 1849 — Election of Senators, Assemblymen and
Two Congressmen in 1849 — First Legislature at San Jose — Gwln and Fremont
First United States Senators — Proclamation of General Riley — Seat of State
Government at San Jose and Then at Vallejo — Removed to Sacramento Jan-
uary 12, 18.52 — Legal Technicalities Involved in Removal of Capital — All Ses-
sions in Sacramento Since 1854 Excepting That of 1862— Later Attempts to

CONTENTS

Remove Capital — Building of Capitol — Total of Ten Blocks in Capitol Park —
Most Attractive Grounds of Any Capitol Park — Group of Statuary — Trees and
Shrubbery of Every Kind — Grand Army Plat with Trees from Battlefields of
Civil War — Sacramento's Contribution to the List of Governors.

CHAPTER XXXV

The Military 364

State Militia Organized in 1850 — Four Divisions and Eight Brigades —
Changed in 1852 to Seven Districts — Six Divisions and Twelve Brigades
Created in 1855 — One Division and Six Brigades in 1862 — Successive Briga-
dier-Generals— Fourth Regiment — Sutter Rifle Corps — Sacramento Guards —
Young Men's Pioneer Guard — Sacramento Cadets — Independent City Guard —
Sacramento Hussars — Otner Companies — Grand Army of the Republic — Span-
ish War Veterans.

CHAPTER XXXVI

Fire Department 373

Organized in 1850— Fires of That Year— Great Fire of 1853-— Catastrophe of
1854 — Loss of Western Hotel in 1875 — Other Fires — First Fire Company in
State — Mutual Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 — Other Volunteer Organiza-
tions— Paid Fire Department — Established 1872 — Three Companies — Chief
Engineers — Services of Guthrie — Stations 4 and 5 — Most Modern Equip-
ment— Exempt Firemen.

CHAPTER XXXVII
Early Business Enterprises. ..._

Business and Professional Men — Every Line of Industry Represented
— Groceries and Provisions — Breweries — Beet Sugar Factory — Broom Fac-
tories— Wagon and Carriage Shops — Foundries — Flouring Mills — Wheat No
Longer the Principal Crop — Land Now Too Valuable for Grain — Export Flour
Trade an Industry of the Past.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

Banks and Bankers 38S

Banks of Sacramento Second to None in Stability — National Bank of D. O.
Mills & Co.— Early History of the Bank— Capital Savings Bank— Odd Fellows
Savings Bank — California National Bank — People's Savings Bank — Farmers
and Mechanics Savings Bank — Sacramento Savings Bank One of Oldest in
City — Capital Banking and Trust Co. — Sacramento Valley Bank and Trust
Co. — Fort Sutter National Bank — Banks and Bankers 1851-1871 — Sacra-
mento Clearing House.

CHAPTER XXXIX

Public Utilities 398

First Franchise for Gas Works — City First Lighted With Gas December 17,
1855 — Various Changes in Companies — Advance in Methods of Manufactur-
ing Gas — The Telephone — First Appearance of Sunset Telephone Company —
First Express System of Telephone — Early Rate $6 per Month — Capital Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company — Water Works — First Bonds Issued in 1853 —
Original Plant Soon Too Small for Needs of City — New Works Started in
1872 and Completed in 1873.

CHAPTER XL

The Crocker Art Gallery .- 404

Gathered in Europe at Great Expense — Deeded to City in 1885 — Building
Adequate to House Magnificent Collection — California Artists Represented —
Portraits of Prominent Californians — California Museum Association — First
Exhibition a Social and Financial Success — Appreciation of Mrs. Crocker's
Gift — Festival in Her Honor — Ladies Museum Association.

CHAPTER XLI

Associations and Clubs .• 40S)

Sacramento Pioneers — Chamber of Commerce— Sacramento Valley Develop-
ment Association— The Saturday Club— The Tuesday Club— The Sutter Club
— Dramatic and Musical — State Agricultural Society — Sacramento Athletic
Club— Sacramento Boat Club — Other Clubs.

INDEX

A

Adams, Harry W 961

Ahern, David 546

Ahern, William M 809

Albright, Sidney S 690

Amaya, Daniel D 760

Anderson, Alden 789

Anderson, Andrew 878

Anderson, Charles W 819

Anderson, Lars P 1023

Anderson, Ludwig 1026

Andrew, William J 654

Angrave, Joseph W 991

Aram, Eugene 883

Armstrong, Robert 676

Arnold, Alphonse 962

Atkinson, Edmund C 833

Atkinson, F. L 746

Azevedo, Joseph F. 857

B

Baker, Harry W 992

Barfoot, Spencer 993

Bassett, W Walter 997

Beckman, William 1020

Beckwith, Chailes M 782

Bedwell, John F 667

Beede; Jeremiah K 653

Bellmer, Edgar H 1055

Bennett, Hariison 963

Bethel, Fiank J . 609

Bettens, R M 1022

Bickle, Thomas V 858

Bills. Charles B 994

Bishop, Fled J 776

Bock, George 1019

Boggess, Jiles S 661

Bohl, Peter 964

Bonte, H. S 1042

Borchard, Alfred 680

Boss, Ira C 808

Bostwick, George W 829

Bowsher, Amos L 774

Bradford, William B 574

Bramhall, Robert N , M D 860

Brauer, Herman . 723

Breuner, Louis F 692

Brickell, Jerome P 620

Brickell, Thomas E 638

Brown, Alfred J 967

Brown, Edward S 861

Brown, Egbert A 864

Brown, John Q 863

Brunschwiler, Joseph I 866

Bullock, George S.. 867

Burns, George A.... 975

Butler, Guy W 870

C

Calligori, Vincent 841

Cameron, Archibald M 980

Campbell, Alden W 825

Caples, George W 1024

Carlaw, Andrew 871

Carmichael, Daniel W 445

Carraghar, Will J 872

Carroll, Daniel H 793

Carroll, Jeremiah 773

Gate, Daniel R 873

Cavitt, George W 932

Chambers, Vactor T 981

Chaplin, William 874

Chinn, Fredeiick C 766

Christian, James T , M. D 979

Cippa, Fred T 670

Clark, George H 788

Clayton, Marion P 803

Clayton, Mrs. Sarah E 803

Clifton, Archie W 875

Coffin, Edward M 1018

Cohen, Isidoi 571

Cohn, Philip C 475

Coolot, Augustin E 1053

Cooper, John F 558

Cope, O. Harold 813

Cornell, Joseph D 504

Cox, Frederick 976

Coyle, Thomas J 842

Crocker, Charles H 877

Croke, Frank C 683

Crowell, Montfort K 811

Cuff, Clarence C 820

Cutter, George H 996

Dalton, Alfred, Jr.

Dargitz, J. P
DaRoza, Edward L
Davis, Charles K
Day, Stephen S
Dehn, Henry
Derby, Charles M
Derby, Frank M
Diepenbrock, Melchior H

Dike, Uburto L 1000

Doan, Warren E 998

Donahue, John... 934

Donnelly, James H 1017

Donnelly, Peter F 895

Dozier, Melville, Jr 657

Driver, Elisha S. 648

Dunn, Chauncey H 484

E

Ebel, Mark H 759

Eckhardt, Henrv 689

Ehret, Louis D 770

Eldred, Charles H 1013
Elkus, Louis 999

Elliott, James F 935

Ellis, Charles J 982

Ellis, Rev. John H 1001

Ellis, Rev. William F 752

Emigh, Clay W 797

Emigh, James L 796

F

Fairbank, Herbert A 523

Fairfield, Willard A 936

Fancher, Frederick B 801

Farren, John 937

Fical, Charles A 1042

Ficks, George W 750

Filcher, Joseph A 1014

Fischer, Jacob J 897

Fisher, J. Hayes, M. D 1047

Fisk, Katherine B 745

Fitzgerald, Petei A 573

Folger, Alfred G 898

Foster, Stephen 938

Foster, Walter T 884

Fox, David F.. 685

Frasinetti, James 747

Fratt, Francis W 1043

Frommer, Bernard 941

G

Gallup, William R 1025

Gardner, Mrs. Anna G -.-- 951

Geary, William 887

Geiger, Charles C 788

Gerber, Edward H 888

Gerber, John A., Jr 1016

Gerber, William E 947

Gibson, Francis 985

Gillespie, Edward, Sr 950

Godard, Charles W 986

Gore, William R 886

Gormley, William F 891

Gouiden, James 944

Grace, Thomas 427

Graham, Charles H 987

Grant, William E "Ti-

Green, Charles F 436

Green, George 988

Gregory, Frank 705

Gregory, T. T C 1029

Griffeth, Clarence M 664

Griffin, M. W 989

H

Hall, Thomas B 839

Halloran, Martin 837

Harlow, John M '''36

Hart, James V 488

Hartmann, Geoige P 696

Haynes, Edward 818

Haynie, Stephen W 695

Hencken, William 472

Henry, L.... 1011

Hicks, John B 949

Hinkle, Isa&c 917

Hinsey, William W 743

Hippie, Geoige W 545

Hobrecht, Joseph C 956

Hodson, Burton M 767

Hook, George 955

Hopkins, A S 831

Hopkins, O G 491

Hotchkiss, George W 647

Hulings, Burton F 798

Hullin, Nicholas T 762

Humbert, Hubeit J 524

Hummel, Joseph F 952

Huntress, James S 513

Hutton, Frank O 1012

I
Irvine, Richard C 900

J

Jacobs, Julius S 850

Jenks, William M 733

Johns, Fred J 614

Johnson, Grove L 500

Johnson, Hiram W 836

Johnson, Joseph \V 588

Johnston. John \\ 953

Johnston, William A 529

Jones, Edward S 849

Jones, Thomas R 507

Junior, Eugene A 493

K

Kaufman, August 768(

Kaufman, Carl 763

Kavanaugh, Edward C 619

Keach, George 919

Kennedy, William M 663

Kessler. Adam B 1056

Kestler, Gustave A 739

Keyes. Henry C 880

Kiesel. Frederick W 815

Kilgariff, Henry J 503

Kimball, Moses N 881

Kitt, Fred T ..^ 946

Kleinsorge, Charles B 1003

Klune. J. Bernhard 830

Knight, Ralph 499

Knight, William L. 622

Koch, Bernhardt P 892

Koch, Otto J 784

Kohler. Ferdinand 890

Krebs, Harry G 944

Lafferty, Frank A

Langley, William A

Larkin, John N

LaRue, Hon. Hugh M...
LaRue, Hugh M., Jr
Latourrette, Johnl

Lavenson, Gus

Lawton, John

Lawton, William D
Leonard, Albert...
Leonard, Harry W
Levering, Charles D

Lewis, Thomas

Limbaugh, Leonard M
Lindsay, Arthur H
Lindsay, William K.. M
Lothhammer, Charles

Lowry, Felton

Lubin, David

Lubin, S. J

Luce, Niron

. 644

,. 729

435

757

942

847

814

1010

893

1045

715

735

894

816

. 928

. 628

. 833

434

. 922

McCurdy, Arthur H...

McDougal, George

McDougall, Donald

McElwaine, R

McEwen, Edward J
McFarland, Ray D
McKenzie, Francis R
McKevitt, Frank H
McKinstry, J. K ...
McMahon, John...
McWilliams, Hugh
Mackinder, Willis A

. 466

.1008
901

1009
625
590

Mangan, James

709

Manning, Frank J..

4bl

Martin, Fred L

699

Marty, Benjamin

447

Mathews, Herschel B

441

Mauldin, Hugh

. 778

Mayden, John L

781

Mayer, George H

526

Mealer, Thomas J

724

Meister, Albeit

. 800

Meredith, Craddoc

973

Meyer, Frank

906

Meyer, William A

777

Mikle, Pleas G

578

Mikulich, Andrew

907

Mill, Russell W

749

Miller, Frank C

972

Miller, John H , Jr

449

Miller, O. H

Morrill, William D

921

Morris, Edward

481

Morrison, Alexander W

785

Muddox, Harry C

478

Muddox, Ralph H

1048

Murphy, Patiick H

1027

587
627

Nagle, John L
Nathan, Charles P
Nauman, Harrj A
Nelson, Jacob
Nethercott, George
Noble, George W
Noyes, Charles T

0

O'Kelly, T. J 1051

O'Neil, Tliomas W 822

Owen, Harry D 740

P

Patterson, John L 552

Paule, Charles 442

Peck, F. S ... 783

Perkins, Chailes C 806

Pfund, Edwaid F 1030

Phillips, Sidney M 494

Phinney, Cassius M 902

Phinney. George A 1035

Pierce, John A 684

Pike, John E T 742

Pipher, Joseph E 456

Powers, William M 610

Prouty, Simon 1031

Prouty, William H 1037

Q

Quaas, William H 457

R

RalfE, Otto 978

Randle, George N 452

Raper, Robert 641
Read, Heibeit J 1U04

Rees, Fredeiick G 6b ^

Reese, Ed waul E 603

Reese, Johu 95j

Reynolds, Aarou B ii65

Richards, William F "21

Riley, Jolin TIS

Robb, Charles S 'J32

Roberts, John H 4"i"j

Rooney, Stephen J 693

Ross-Roan, Mrb Maij 469

Ruhstallei, Frank J S'll

Runyon, Solomon 9ii5

Russell, Scimuel W 460

Rutter, James j">6

Ryan, Frank D J20

Ryan, Henry P 670

Ryan & Cippa 670

Rydberg, Herman 675

s

St. Joseph's Academy 606

Saner, Joseph 635

Sargent, Franklin H 856

Sawyer, John H 1038

Schad, Isidor 539

Schad, Thomas 540

Schaden, Alfred 1039

Scheld, Philip 547

Scheunert, Wilhelm R. H 550

Schneider, Casper V 1049

Schnetz, Henry 701

Selliiiger, George P 802

Sellon, George C 828

Seymour, Henry I 826

Shannon, Hunter W. S 940

Sharpe, Elton D 958

Shaw, F. E., M. D 613

Sheehan, Edgar M 549

Shields, Peter J 755

Silva, Charles F 439

Silva, Manuel S , M. D 709

Sisson, Benjamin L 876

Slight, Samuel B 960

Smiley, Hugh J 557

Smith, Mrs. Anna 924

Smith, Herbert F . 669

Steffens, Joseph 853

Stewart, Louis H 562

Strachan, Hugh M 971

Strachan, James 845

Strand, William A 673

Studarus, John 565

Sullivan, Daniel U 753

Swinney, John A 605

Switzer, Herbert C 1007

T

Taverner, George M 595

Telfer, C. Allison 846

Thlsby, George 632

Thomson, Fredenck F 795

Thorp, Harry 433

Thorp, Sidnev G 541

Timm, Richard 717

Townsend, George H 908

Trainor, Isaac J 531

Twitchell, Edward 535

U
Uren, Stephen 925

w

Wachhorst, Eugene 1005

Wahrhaftig, Moses S 968

Walke, Adolph 931

Walker, Joseph E 594

Walton, Fredenck S lO.iO

Warner, Willai d 913

Warren, Lloyd G 600

Washburn, O F 930

Watson, William S, M D 9L5

Weisman, William J 910

Welch, Benjamin 567

Wentz, John H 711

Wentzel, Charles E 928

Werner, Charles 616

Wiesenhofer, Frank X 792

Wilder, James A 598

Wiley, David E 916

Williams, Lincoln P 969

Willis, William L 593

Wilson, Jesse W 517

Wise, Philip 929

Woodburn, Elwood J 794

Woods, John L 597

Wulff, Henry F. G 911

Yardley, Herbert E
Yell, Archibald
Yoerk, Charles A
Young, Charles J
Younger, Andrew
Yule, William /"L^

1040
727
811
643

.1002

HISTORICAL

INTRODUCTION

"Serene I fold my hands and wait,
Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea ;
I rave no more 'gainst time or fate.
For lo ! my own shall come to me.

"The stars come nightly to the sky.
The tidal wave unto the sea;
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high.
Can keep my own away from me. ' '

— John Burroughs.

Sncli has been for many years the attitude of a large part of this
grand state, the empress that sits throned on the shores of the Pacific,
conscious of her cliarm and confident of the future that awaits her,
and that is drawing as a magnet tlie dwellers of colder climes and
more inhospitable shores to the land of sunshine and flowers. And
such has long been the attitude of Sacramento county, the peer of any
in California. But a transformation has begun and the future will
witness the unfolding of the bud of beauty into a pja-fect flower that
shall surpass the most sanguine expectations. Witn a city that will
expand in the future into the largest inland city on the coast, all her
advantages will keep pace with her evolution and she will take her
proper place among the gems that grace the diadem of the great
empire of the Pacific coast, the magnificent state that took for her
motto "Eureka," and might well have added to it "Excelsior."

It may he safely said of Sacramento county that she has played
a more important part in the history of the state than any other
county within the borders of California. Embracing in her confines
the most precious gifts of the lofty Sierras and the foothills at their
base — the fertile alluvial soil washed down from their hillsides and
canyons to fill up the inland sea of which she was once a part — making
her a second valley of the Nile, no whit inferior to the original in
fertility and jiroductiveness, she is almost without a peer. But the
mountains and foothills were not niggardly in their munificent gifts,
for in addition to her splendid soil they sprinkled it liberally with
golden dust and nuggets that enriched many a one of the Argonauts
and of the generation that succeeded them, and is to this day pouring-
millions into the pockets of the men who are mining the precious metal
on the lands adjoining the American river.

Sitting majestically on the banks of the magnificent river that
forms her western boundary, she has beheld for half a century barges

6 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

and steamers bringing her choicest products down tlie bosom of the
river to the sea, to supply the markets of the coast cities and of lands
beyond the ocean. With the summer's sun and the winter's rain, aided
by the balmy winds of spring and autumn, her crops follow each other
in annual succession, and are sent abroad to feed the less fortunate
dwellers of Occident and Orient and to spread the fame of her wealth
of resources to distant lands. Well has she played her part so far,
but it is an insig-nificant one compared to that which she will play in
the near future, when instead of a few thousands, this magnificent
valley of the Sacramento sliall su]>port millions of happy, prosperous
men, women and children of the mighty empire that is llevehnjing so
rapidly on the western coast of our country. And now has come to her
a quickeniB,:^fof perception that will have far-reaching results. Her
own has cqijifto her. She realizes the value of her birthright and will
take advantage of it to the fullest extent. Agriculture, horticulture,
commerce and manufacturing all feel the impulse resultant on the real-
ization of lier ])ower and opportimity, and lier watchword is "Onward."

In the days before the American occupation, Gen. John A. Sutter,
the pioneer of pioneers of the state, saw with the vision of a prophet
the futu]-e of the country, and built his fort near the confluence of the
Sacramento and American rivers, to become, a few years later, the
objective point of the wagon trains which wended their weary way
across the trackless wilderness of this vast continent. Here many a
company of im|^grants, worn out with their long journey and often
half starved ana in distress, arrived and were fed and relieved from
the stores of the generous-hearted old pioneer, and rested and recu-
perated under the protection of his fort. Here was for many years
the point where the gold seekers, landing from their long and danger-
ous voyage around the Horn, arrived on boats from San Francisco,
and fitted themselves out for the mines. Here, too, was the supply
point for these seekers foi' gold after they had begun with pick, shovel
and rocker, to delve their fortunes from the rich placers of the foot-
hills. Here, then, began the making of tlie history of the Golden state.

It was to Sacramento, too, that Marshall, long before the irrup-
tion of the dwellers of every clime hastening to be first on the ground
to gather the treasure, brought for Sutter's inspection the bright
pieces of yellow metal found in the race at Coloma, and it was from
Sacramento that, after that conference, the news went forth to the
world that the gold placers of California held out the ojjportunity of
acquiring wealtli to all who possessed the nerve and confidence to come
and seek for it.

The history of a nation, a state, a country or a city, has a numbej-
of natural divisions, each interdeijendent with regard to the others,
and which form a harmonious whole when lu'ought into proper relation
to each other. Political, governmental, industrial and commercial,
each has its province in promoting the general welfare of a community

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 7

Not more interesting and romantic was the search of Jason auu
his Argonauts for the Golden Fleece than was that of his prototypes
who braved the wilderness with its hostile Indians, or endured the
tedium and the dangers of the voyage round the Horn in search of the
precious metal with, which California was endowed. There is a fas-
cination which never grows old or lessens as one listens to the remin-
iscences of the old pioneers and their tales of their journeyings to the
new Eldorado under the lure of gold; and one lives over again with
them the exciting experiences they met with, both on their way and
after their arrival. Such a polyglot community never was"drawn to-
gether, surely, banded in one common aim, but still each one pursuing
his own way independently and striving to acquire wealth as quickly
as possible and return to his old home. A few did so, l^ut with the
majority the case was different. They never dreanied i^i^t they were
to be founders of a great state which would hold theii*' Snemory in
reverence and respect them for their sturdy, earnest qualities. Alas,
they are fast dwindling in numbers and only a few brief years will see
them among us no more.

The lure of gold is one of the strongest incentives to man, induc-
ing him to leave home and its loved ones, to brave well-known and
certain danger and to tempt fate in the most daring manner. Perhaps
the spice of danger and adventure lends force to the lure, although
optimism must necessarily be the most potent factor. Other men have
made fortunes quickly and comparatively easily, why not he ? We hear
only of the successful ones, but rarely of the unsuccessful, their priva-
tions or sufferings, and the dazzle of gold blinds us to the reverse side
of the question. The struggles and privations of the thousands who
joined in the mad rush to Alaska in the last decade are very little
known or considered. Rotten ships, condemned years before, were
chartered to take them on the treacherous sea voyage, laden to the
gunwales with passengers and freight, and with the chances against
their proceeding a hundred miles on their journey before experiencing
shipwreck. And yet men fought and pleaded for a chance to brave
the perils of the journey and the certain suffering from cold and
hunger and other perils after their arrival in the land of the Great
White Silence. So it was in the days of '49. The long six months'
journey across the plains and lofty mountains, with only a trail to
follow, the dangers of Indians, floods, tire and starvation could not
deter the dauntless ones who took up their journey of more than two
thousand miles through the wilderness, many of them with their wives
and children.

Right here it is only just to give their due to the women — the
pioneer mothers of whom we hear so little — the women who forsook
home and kindred to follow their husbands through all trials and
dangers to the imknown la-nds and to assist with their labors and coun-
sel, and with the children of the rising generation, in the shaping and

8 HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY

moulding of a great empire whose fame was destined to reach the
uttermost parts of the earth. Like the pioneer women of the great west
and the Mississippi valley, they have not received their meed of praise
and recognition of the important part they played in empire building.
While the men labored, the women had to make the home as comfort-
able as conditions allowed, to rear and care for and clothe the children
and to endure all sorts of privations. Theirs the test of patience and
courage to meet and overcome, to cheer and encourage under adverse
circumstances, and well the pioneer women did their part. Not the
least of their tests was the scarcity of female companionship, as for
several years but few women came to this coast, and they were widely
scattered after their arrival. The coming of a woman to a mining
camp was a great event and roused all the latent chivalry of the rough
men of the community, who vied in doing her honor and making her
comfortable and mitigating the conditions around her. She was placed
upon a pedestal and surrounded by adoring subjects. A man would be
safer in committing murder than in insulting or injuring her.

Pioneers have told the writer of the appearance of the country
adjoining Sacramento on the south in the days of '49 and '50. "A
man could ride over the plains ra horseback," they say, "and tie the
wild oats across his saddle bow, as they rose often above the head of a
man on foot. Droves of antelope were to be seen on the plains and
deer were to be found in the groves along the river, while in the tules
and along the sloughs and lakes in the southern part of the county
herds of elks passed most of their time." And yet, with those- fertile
plains at their doors, such was tlie fixity of the idea that had taken
hold of men's minds and impelled them to the mines, that they scoffed
at the few wise ones who planned to take up land and go to farming.
"What!" they would say, "would you go out there and drudge, when
you could go to the mines and pick up gold ? Wliy, you would starve
to death out there ! Not any land for me. ' '

But among them were men who had left the farm in the east to
come to California. These men saw that while many lucky ones made
their fortunes more or less quickly in the mines, there were thousands
of others who lived from hand to mouth or went broke in quest for
gold. They looked on the face of the country and, like the Israelites,
"found it good." They realized that the soil that would ])rodu('e such
crops without cultivation would produce bounteously when properly
cultivated. They realized too that the gold diggers must be fed, and
that feeding them would bring its reward in rich profits. They knew
the stock must have hay in the winter as well as in the summer, when
every spear of grass was dried up in the absence of rain. So the wise
men took up tracts of land. Some of them purchased large grants
which had been given by the Mexican government, as had Sutter's.
They prepared to feed the hungry, and their descendants are carrying
out their plans today. The land which the miners, in their ignorance

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 9

of the effects of climatic conditions in the valley, designated as a
desert, has proved "a land flowing- with milk and honey," and has
promoted the growth of an industrious and ))rosi)erous community
which has done its share in the upbuilding of the great commonwealth
that extends along the shore of the Pacific for a distance almost as
great as that of the Atlantic states on the ocean that washes the east-
ern shore of oiir country.

The great possibilities of our county are only in their first stage
of development. The days of the stock and cattle men and of the
herds that covered the land are gone. The days of wheat-raising that
followed them are almost past and the era of intensive farming has
come. The small home of a few acres, where the work that in the days
of the wheat farmers was distributed over a quarter or half section
is now concentrated on ten or twenty acres, has begun to take the place
of the big ranch. Instead of sparsely settled plains where the farm
house, barns and corrals were the only signs of habitation, and the
rancher depended on the peddler's wagon to supply him with vege-
tables and fruit ; where perhajjs a few straggling fowls were to be seen
around the barn yard, and the rancher brought out from the town his
butter, eggs, condensed milk and bacon, are now to be seen the orchard
and vineyard, with perhaps a patch of alfalfa yielding green feed the
year around for the cows and chickens. "The old order changeth,
yielding place to new." The country is daily growing nearer to the
city. The tele]3hone, the parcels post, the rural delivery which brings
to the farmer his daily paper and his letters and keeps him in touch
with the markets on which he depends for the sale of his products —
all are making the farm more attractive to the rising generation. The
immense holdings of the wheat barons are passing away and in place
of the scattered bunk-houses where in winter the men who ran the
gang-plows and sowed the seed and in summer the harvester gangs
passed their nights, are the small farms of settlers, with comfortable
homes growing in beauty and attractiveness and the children are to
be found who will grow up as the next generation of our citizens. The
schoolhouse, the cornerstone of our nation's greatness, begins to dot
the landscape and the church and postoffice soon are seen, a nucleus
for the thriving communities that are springing up and will soon cover
the state thickly, as they do in the east. We are coming into our own
at last.

10 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

CHAPTER I

SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Sacramento county is situated on the river from which it is
named (Rio Sacramento, liver of the Sacrament), being bounded on
the north by Placer county, on the east by Eldorado and Amador, on
the south by San Joaquin and on the west by Yolo and Solano. Sacra-
mento City is the county town as well as the capital of the state. The
city is in 38° 35' north latitude and 121° 30' west longitude from
(Greenwich. The county contains nine hundred and eighty-eight square
miles, only a little less than the area of Rhode Island. The popu-
lation of the county according to the census of 1910 is sixty-seven
thousand eight hundred and six, but it is rapidly increasing, owing
to the era of rapid development which has set in during the past five
years. The coming of a new transcontinental railj-oad — the Western
Pacific — and the approaching entry of the Great Northern and Santa
Fe, as well as several interurban electric lines either already con-
structed or in course of construction, have greatly hastened its ra])id
progress and prosperity. The magnificent river that flows along its
western boundary bears on its bosom, it is stated, almost as much
freight annually as the mighty Mississippi does. While the figures
are not at hand to verify this statement, it is certain that the tonnage
of grain, wood, fnait, vegetables and other products of the State which
are carried on the river by steamers and barges totals an immense
amount and relieves the railroads of a very great amount of freight dur-
ing the busy season, and is a decided factor in keeping down freight
charges in the valley. The river flows through a country unsurpassed in
fertility in the whole world and producing a vast variety of grain, fruit
and vegetables. On the river and the islands bounded by its various
channels and tributaries, in addition to the fruit orchards that have
been celebrated for their fine fruit for nearly a half century jiast,
asparagus and celery growing have of late years become a most
important and yearly increasing interest, the former furnishing many
thousands of cases of canned product, which is shipped all over the
world.

Sacramento County was one of the large wheat growing counties
many years ago, but as wheat growing became less profitable and the
land became more valuable, it gradually became utilized for vineyard
and orchard ijroduction, for which most of the land in the county is
admirably adapted. Hence of late years Sacramento has become the
chief shipping point for all kinds of fruit except the citrus varieties,
and as its soil and climate have been found to be of the best for the
citrus fruits, their production has been rapidly increasing, both in
quantity and quality, the latter being found to be inferior to none

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 11

raised elsewhere. A peculiar feature of the climatoloi^y of Sacranieuto
and the adjoining counties on the east and north is found in what
is known as the thermal belt in the foothills and higher portion of
the plain, where the citrus fruits ripen to jjerfection and so much
earlier than in other sections that they are from a month to six weeks
earlier than those in the southern part of the State. They are there-
fore marketed before the frosts come, reaching the eastern markets
before the holiday season and of course bringing the highest prices.
Besides these, all varieties of deciduous fruit grow in profusion and
perfection, tlie shipments in 1909 reacliing as high as two hundred
carloads in one day, and on one day in July, 1912, totaling two hundred
and twenty carloads.

The city of Sacramento is thirty-one feet above the sea level,
the river below Colusa having a verj' gradual fall. The mountains
which form the walls of the valley are visible on both sides of the city,
and the panorama of the river, plain, foothills and mountains as seen
from the dome of the capitol is a grand one, Mt. Shasta and Lassen
Peak, more than two hundred miles away, being visible on some clear
days. The climate of the city and county is tempered by the Sierra
Nevadas and the Coast Range, and the humidity of the air in the
summer is perceptibly lessened by being shut out from tlie ocean to
a large degree by the Coast Range. For this reason, while the ther-
mometer on some days in summer shows a high reading, the absence of
moisture in the atmosphere renders it much more comfortable
than in a moister climate, and sunstrokes and heat prostrations are
practically unknown. Sacramento valley is about one hundred and
fifty miles long, with a breadth of about fifty to sixty miles, and is
walled in by two ranges of mountains, the Sierra Nevadas on tlie
east, and the Coast Range on the west. Thej" gradually approach
each other until they come together in Shasta county. At the head
of the valley Mount Shasta stands, looking down from his snowy
heights like a hoary sentinel placed there to watch over the welfare
of the country below. Beneath him winds the Sacramento river, on
its way to water the fertile plains to the south. The alluvial lands
along the rivei' slowly merge into the plains, and they gradually rise
until they meet the foothills with which the valley is fringed, the foot-
hills in turn giving way to the higher ranges, the loftiest peaks of
which are Pyramid Peak, ten thousand and fifty-two feet in altitude,
and Alpine, ten thousand and twenty-six feet, in the Sierra Nevadas;
and Mount Johns, eight thousand feet high, in the Coast Range. To
the southwest fifty-three miles rises Mount Diablo, in a detached
range, three thousand eight hundred and fifty-six feet high, while the
Marysville Buttes, from forty to fifty miles north, rise two thousand
feet out of the level plain and cover an area of fifty-five square miles.
Adjoining the alluvial lands along the river are the plains, the soil of
which is a sandv loam, a reddish land containing some clay, and a

12 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

heavy black olayish soil known as adobe. There are also gravelly
ridges running nearly north and south through the center of the
county and also east of the Cosumnes river, which comes down from
Amador county and entering the eastern part of Sacramento county,
flows into the Mokelumne river on the southern boundary. Around
Folsom, on the eastern edge and three miles from the Eldorado
boimdary, the soil becomes of a deep red color and is a gold-bearing
gravel which turned out many millions in the early days,, and is still
mined with great profit. All these varieties of land grow fine grapes
and other fruits, which are mostly shipped to the east, bringing good
prices. Along the rivers, corn, hops and vegetables are grown in
large quantities, the hop crop being an important industry in the
county. Large quantities of vegetables are shipped to Utah, Idaho
and Montana, and some even as far east as Chicago and New York.
The American river, coming down from Eldorado county, runs
through Folsom and empties into the Sacramento just above Sacra-
mento City.

The greater part of the surface of the county is level, or nearly
so. As it approaches the Cosumnes it becomes more hilly, falling
again to Deer creek, which runs along the west side of the Cosumnes
river bottom, and becoming rolling land on the other side of the
Cosumnes, until it reaches the lower foothills. On the Cosumnes are
hop yards, orchards, corn and alfalfa fields. Dry creek on the south
forms part of the southern boundary and empties into the Mokelumne,
which also forms a ])art of the southern boundary. Thus the county
is abundantly watered in its various localities by four rivers and their
tributary streams. The American, Cosumnes and Mokelumne are all
torrential streams rising in the high Sierras and with a large area
of land contributing to their watershed. Down the canyons, there-
fore, through which tliey flow, rushes annually an immense volume of
water on its way to the ocean. In the early days this often over-
flowed the alluvial lands along the Sacramento river, carrying death
and destruction along its course. Several of these floods were disas-
trous to Sacramento City in its early history. Judging from the t^les
of the pioneers, the flood in the winter of 1862 must have covered not
only the river bottoms, but also a large portion of what is familiarly
known as "the plains," for the writer has heard old settlers tell of
transporting their provisions and other merchandise from Sacramento
during that winter on flatboats or barges almost to the town of Elk
Grove. An idea of the immense volume of water that found its way
to the sea on that occasion may be gained from the fact that it not
only covered the great tule basin of Yolo county, but also a large
portion of the plains east and south of the city to a width of manv
miles. Since that time the settlers liave learned the lesson that
safetv can be found only in liigh and wide levees, ]iro])erly constructed
to withstand the wind and water.

HISTORY OP^ SACRAMENTO COUNTY 1.}

But man, while always striving against the elements and the
forces of nature, often succeeds in the herculean task of subduing
them and turning the master into the servant. These same torrential
streams, which, unbridled, sweep man and his works fi'om their jjath
like feathers, are being harnessed and confined to do his bidding and
foster his prosperity. The great dam at Folsom, built by the state,
furnishes power to the state's prison as well as electricity for light-
ing the grounds. It has also for many years supplied Sacramento
city and county with light and power. In the near future the water
of those streams will be used again and again to turn mills and
machinery for factories, and the electrical power generated by the
rivers will be, even more than in the past, transmitted to long
distances — a factor in building up the prosperity of many a com-
munity.

The day will come, moreover, when immense reservoirs will l)e
constructed, either by the government or the state, for the im|)ound-
ing of the flood water from the rain and melting snow and its dis-
tribution during the long, dry summer over the thirsty land, doubling
and trebling the crops and bringing greater prosperity to the valley.
Then too will the rivers, instead of bringing down destriictive torrents
upon the valley, remain within their banks and the Sacramento, with
its channel deepened, will once more see the ships of distant nations
iiringing their commerce to our door.

Many centuries ago a vast sea occupied the place now known as
the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. The action of sun, rain
and air slowly disintegrated the surrounding mountains and erosion •
set in, the detritus forming soil which was washed down into the
inland sea, eventually filling up the great basin. It is no wonder then,
that, like the valley of the Nile, which was formed in the same way,
the valley of the Sacramento became one of the richest and most fer-
tile in the world. For nearly half a century it was one of the great
wheat-producing sections of the United States. As the soil became
exhausted for wheat-raising under the one-crop system, the farmer
began to find it necessary to change the crop. He found that it would
not only raise all varieties of fruit and berries, but that on a much
smaller acreage he could raise a far more profitable crop, as well as
a more certain one. So in a few years Sacramento developed into a
great fruit shipping center and today the Florin district is one of the
largest, if not the largest of the strawberry-growing centers in the
state. Sacramento also leads in the production of the Tokay grajie,
the color and quality of which always secures for it in the eastern
market the highest price.

Nor must the tule lands along the Sacramento river in the south-
western part of the county be overlooked. Alluvial lands of the richest
quality, for some distance back from the river they have been re-
claimed and thousands of acres planted with orchards of deciduous

14 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

fruits or sown with alfalfa and used as dairy farms. Of lat« years
they are being- reclaimed faster and asparagus and celery have been
found to be very successful and profitable crops, the former being
canned in immense quantities and sent east to supply the markets of
the world.

In fact e^•erything that can be produced in a semi-tropical country
can be grown in the Sacramento valley, and even some fruits and
other ]:)roducts that really belong to tropical climes. Rice is being
grown with great success and of the finest quality in Butte county, as
well as to a limited extent in Sacramento county, a large portion of
the soil of which is admirably fitted for its culture. Hemp and ramie
bid fair to become profitable textile products and much of the land
is suitable for flax. Hops are also an imi^ortant product, being grown
of the finest quality along the Sacramento and the Cosumnes rivers.

A large portion of the area of Sacramento, which is now in pri-
vate ownership through subdivision, was in the early days comjirised
in the old Spanish grants. The boundaries and other matters were
the cause of much costly and vexatious litigation. The grants were
as follows:

The Rancho Rio de los Americanos, or Leidesdorff grant, lying
along the American river and country around Folsom.

The Sutter Grant, or New Helvetia.

The Sheldon Grant, embracing the estates of Jared Sheldon and
William Daylor, on the Cosumnes river, originally known as the
Rancho Omochumnes.

The Hartnell Grant, also on the Cosumnes river.

The Rancho San Jon de los Moquelumnes, generally known as tlic
Chabolla Grant, on the lower Cosumnes around Hicksville and running
to the Mokelumne river.

The Arroyo Seco Grant, in Alabama township, on Dry creek.

The Rancho San Juan, on the north side of the American river
and embracing the Carmichael colony, Fair Oak.s and a part of
Orangevale.

The Rancho del Paso, formerly known as the Norris Grant and
now generally spoken of as the Haggin Grant. This stood for more
than fifty years as a barrier to the extension of the city on the north
and has only been subdivided within the past three years, the last of
the great land holdings in this county.

The Rancho Sacayac, on the north side of the Cosumnes, between
the Sheldon grant and the east line of the county.

The Rancho Cazadores, on the northwest side of the Cosumnes,
o])posite the Chabolla grant.

Sacramento is fourth among the counties of the state in jwint of
property valuation, Los Angeles standing first, according to the re-
port of State Controller Nye for the year 1912, San Francisco being
second and Alameda third. The report states that the valuation of

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 15

property in Sacramento county is $86,589,795, an increase of over
$5,000,000 above the valuation for 1911. The increase is largely due
to the increase of values of j^roperty in Sacramento City, and also the
subdivision, sale and improvement of many tracts in the county. Thus
is evidenced a steady growth of property in the county, which is really
just beginning to exhibit the advantages of soil and climate, coupled
with comparatively low prices of acreage land and the opportunity
for a home market in a large city close by, which it has for many
years possessed, but has only recently advertised.

The pioneer who in the early days crossed the dark river to the
"undiscovered bourne from which no traveler returns," would look
with astonishment on the present city. The city of tents has grown
to large dimensions, covering many square miles and containing many
stately edifices and blocks of beautiful homes. The cottonwoods and
willows of the early days have given place to long lines of stately and
umbrageous elms that embower in a grateful shade the residences
along the streets, tempering the heat of the summer days and afford
ing a restful prospect to the eye. Strangers visiting the city generally
remark on the beauty thus enhanced, and a visit to the Capitol dome
often induces them to say: "What a beautiful city!" Even old resi-
dents who have lieen absent for the past ten years look in astonish-
ment at the rapid changes. For in the past five years especially has
the place doffed the garb of a country town and blossomed out as a
live, progressive city. The ways of '49 have disappeared. Finely
improved streets have rapidly come to the front, nearly one hundred
miles of asphalt, oiled macadam and some old graveled streets having
taken the place of the mud holes of twenty years ago. A splendid
system of electric car service has sprung up, connecting the old city
with the suburbs, and is still extending its ramifications. The old one
and two-story buildings of early days are fast giving way to edifices
of five to eight stories, of the most modern style of architecture. The
new courthouse, costing nearly $600,000, is nearing completion, and
the splendid new city hall houses the various departments of the city
government. The stately Capitol with its magnificent park is the ad-
miration of all visitors, and the art gallery and Sutter's Fort are al-
ways points of attraction to our visitors. Modern hotels furnish ac-
commodation to thousands of tourists and others and the city is often
spoken of as the "loveliest city on the coast." Investors from the
east and elsewhere are looking over the ground and several large
firms are starting extensive business adventures here. The recent an-
nexation of the suburbs has greatly widened Sacramento's prospects
and the fact becomes more evident each day that she is destined in
the near future to become a great city. Her geographical situation,
the immensely rich lands that surround her, the great quantities of
fruit and other ]iroducts grown around her and shipped from here all
over the country, are all advertising her to the world and bringing

16 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

people to her from the frozen east to enjoy her climate and other
advantages.

To smn up its advantages : Sacramento has the geographical ad-
vantage not only of river transportation, but of being the natural
center for all transcontinental railroads entering Northern California.
Two already pass through the city, two more will certainly do so in
the near future and two more now projected will probably do so. It
will be the center of many i-adiating electric roads which will bring
city and country into close touch and settle thickly adjacent territory.
The logical shipjnng point of all the fruit and other products of two
great valleys is here. The richest and most productive area in the
world is naturally tributary to Sacramento. The three great alluvial
basins of the Sacramento river, capable when reclaimed of supporting
several millions, are adjacent to or near Sacramento, their natural
market or shipping point. The immense amount of power capable of
being developed in the Sierra Nevadas renders it certain that many
factories will ultimately be centered here, giving employment to thou-
sands.

CHAPTER II

:\riNING

The discovery of gold at Coloma on the South Fork of the Ameri-
can river was soon heralded to the world and a cosmopolitan assembly
soon poured into California by land and sea and in a frenzied race for
riches overspread the land, i)eopling the g-ulches and ravines that had
never before been trodden by the foot of white man. Reasoning
logically that the gold on the rivei- bars had some source more or less
distant, they explored every gully and canyon abo\'e and below
Coloma. finding diggings in all of them and many of them very
rich. The country around Folsom was especially rich, and a large
population soon centered there, making it a lively raining camp, which
at one time cast considerably over two thousand votes. The bars and
banks on the American river for miles above and below the town
were very rich and were worked over by the early miners and later
by hydraulic process. In the jiast few years gold dredging has be-
come prevalent in that territory as well as in Butte county. While it
is impossible to obtain statistics of the amount of gold obtained by
dredging, the owners being secretive, it is known that it runs into the
millions. While the amount is so large, it is regrettable that it cannot
be obtained except at the sacrifice of much of the best land in the
state, which is transformed by the dredgers from rich orchards and
vineyards into unsightly heaps of cobblestones, and ])ractically re-
moved for many years from the assessment rolls of the county as a
revenue ])roducer for the ])ublic weal. Much damage, it is claimed,

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 17

has been done to the American and other rivers by the "slickens"
from the dredges filling up the river beds and fouling the water, and
there are many who advocate the passage of laws regulating, if not
restraining, the oj^eration of dredger mining.

Hydraulic mining succeeded the pick, shovel, rocker and long torn
of the early miners and was continued for a number of years. The
shoaling of the river beds and the frequent floods and breaking of
levees that covered the adjacent lands with sand and debris, aroused
the attention of the dwellers in the valley and a bitter controversy
was begun between the hydraulic miners and the citizens of the coun-
ties affected. An association was formed, denominated the "Anti-
Debris Association," composed of citizens of the counties along the
Sacramento river. It was pointed out that valuable orchards were
being destroyed along and below the entry of the tributaries of the
Sacramento which carried down the detritus from the hydraulic
mines; that the bed of the Sacramento and its tributaries was being
raised by the deposits of the debris and navigation was impeded, if
not utterly destroyed in the summer, while the floods, the result of
the raising of the river plane, carried destruction to the low lands
and the towns along their banks. Marysville was a great sufferer
from broken levees and inundations and today the town lies below
the level of the bottom of the river on which it is situated, while
thousands of formerly fertile acres of adjacent lands are a waste of
gravel and sand many feet deep. The association secured ap]:)ropria-
tions for its support from the supervisors of the counties of which its
membership was composed and a long legal battle was begun with
the object of compelling the hydraulic miners to cease their opera-
tions.

At last its contest was successfi;! and finally an injunction was
obtained, prohibiting hydraulic mining unless the debris could be suc-
cessfully impounded to the satisfaction of the association.

CHAPTER III

CLIMATE

The climate of Sacramento county cannot be surpassed in the
state. To the denizen of the east, where frost, snow and ice reign
for from four to six months ; where the farmer works for six months
in the year to provide for his stock during the other six, our climate
is a revelation. True he misses the merry jingle of the sleigh bells,
the exhilarating sport of gliding over the ice on skates, and the other
winter sports; neither is he frozen to death in blizzards, nor does he
have to build cyclone cellars to which he may retreat while his house
is being picked up and blown into the next county. His winter sports
he can easily enjoy, if he desires, by boarding the cars and riding a

18 HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

few hours into the Sierras. But as a general thing, when he has once
settled in Sacramento county, he prefers to remain where three-quar-
ters of the winter is sunshine and the rest supplies him with rain for
the ground to store up and utilize in producing crops. Seldom indeed
does the thermometer fall below the freezing point, and many children
grow up in Sacramento without having ever seen any snow, except on
the far distant Sierras. With a climate rivaling, if not excelling, the
far-famed climate of Italy, in a land that, like Italy, produces the or-
ange, the lemon, the olive and the vine, why should not the emigrant
from the east pronounce it perfect and sit down content to enjoy his
life here? Is the picture too highly drawn? Ask the man from Maine,
or the states bordering on the great lakes, or the northwest, who,
after traveling through cold and storm, crosses . the lofty Sierras —
sentinels on the east that ward off the snow from the great central
valleys of California — drops down in a couple of hours from the sum-
mit, to tind the peach and almond trees in blossom in the foothills and
the earth green with the footprints of the spring, who hears the
hum of the bees, and inhales the air, fragrant with blossoms, almost
before his eyes have become used to the absence of the glittering crys-
tals of the snow and ice of the mountain ranges.
' ' What is so rare as a day in June,
Then, if ever, come perfect days."
Thus wrote Lowell, the sweet singer. But Sacramento does not need
to wait till June. She has perfect days, yes, many of them, while the
streams of the New England states and the western states are still
prisoned in icy fetters, and the people snowbound or delving in the
great snow drifts that make the roads impassable.

We hear mucli of the vaunted climate of southern Italy and Los
Angeles. There is no wish to disparage the merits of either. The
dwellers of Sacramento county are glad to know that those places are
so blessed in climatic conditions. However, we present a few trgnrep
in comparison. They are authentic and furnish food for reflection.

Statistics, gathered from United States Government Weather
Bureau for past fifteen years :

Southern Italy. — Average winter temperature, 47.3; average
spring temperature, 57.3; average summer temperature, 73.7; average
autumn temperature, 61.9; average yearly temperature, 60.0; average
highest temperature, 85; average lowest temperature, 20; average
clear days, 220.

Los Angeles. — Average winter temperature, 52.0 ; average -spring
temperature, 60.0 ; average summer temperature, 70.0 ; average autumn
temperature, 65.0; average yearly temperature, 62.0; average highest
temperature 109; avei-age lowest temperature, 28; average clear
days, 250.

Sacramento. — Average winter temperature, 48.0 ; average spring
temperature, 60.0; average summer temperature, 75.0; average au-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 19

tumn temperature, 61.0; average yearly temperature, 61.0; average
highest temperature, 100; average lowest temperature, 29; average
clear days, 238.

The record of the blossoming of fruit trees for tweuty-Iive years
])revious to 1894 showed the earliest date to have been January 20,
1888, and the latest March 8, 1871. No later data are at hand, but
the seasons have varied very little for cycles of ten years since the
settlement of the state and the growing of fruits, so that these figures
may be regarded as a fair average of conditions. Cherries ripen and
are shipped from here in Api'il and on exceptional seasons a few
boxes have l)een shipped earlier, the usual period of blossoming, how-
ever, being aliout the 15th of February. The long, dry summer ripens
all kinds of fruit perfectly, and but rarely do the autumn rains come
early enough to damage the fruit crop not already marketed. The
farmer leaves his hay or grain in the stack for months if necessary,
secure that it will not be damaged by untimely rains. Each season
thus brings its own work. As the fall months advance and the winter
begins, the rains make their appearance. The summer fallow is mois-
tened and the grain is sown and harrowed. The winter plowing is
begun as soon as the rain has penetrated the soil to the proper depth
and when the seeding is completed the farmer leaves the rainfall to
complete the work.

In the matter of rainfall, Sacramento county enjoys the happy
medium, the average rainfall being nearly twenty-one inches. Taken
in connection with the fertility of the soil, and the conditions sur-
rounding the valley and influencing its climate, the fact is that a crop
failure in this county has never been recorded, and that it was the
boast of the past generation of farmers that irrigation was not nec-
essary in order to secure a crop. That boast was made in the days
of wheat raising and does not apply so strictly to fruit raising and
later methods of farming. Still in most sections of the county the
raising of grapes and deciduous fruits and nuts is in many cases made
profitable by thorough cultivation without resorting to irrigation.

While this is true, there are several irrigation systems of ditches
from which water can be obtained on reasonable terms, and which
is found necessary for the production of citrus fruit and alfalfa.

The absence, or rather scarcity, of humidity in the atmosphere at
Sacramento during the summer time is a great factor in making the
heat more endurable when the thermometer shows a reading that is
high. As is well known, a high degree of atmospheric humidity in-
tensifies the suffering when the temperature reaches one hundred de-
grees or more. In fact, in the country east of the Rocky Mountains,
where showers are more or less frequent in the summer, there is more
suffering when the thermometer rises to ninety degrees, and the air
is charged with moisture, than there would be in Sacramento when it
marked one hundred degrees or m.ore. In one case fatalities from

20 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

sunstroke are verj^ common, while in the other sunstroke is unknown.
The breeze from the ocean which ascends the Sacramento river in the
summer afternoons has a cooling eifect on the atmosphere and renders
the evenings delightful for outdoor amusements. It is a rare thing
in Sacramento, in fact not more than two or three nights in the year,
that a person cannot sleep comfortably under a sheet or even under
a blanket or two. The spring and fall weather are delightful and
winter almost seems a misnomer when one enjoys the sunny days
when a coat seems almost a burden. No wonder, in such a climate,
that the fruit trees haste to break into blossom and fill the air with
their fragrance. To the easterner, impelled by the cold of his native
state to seek a more balmy climate, Sacramento offers one not to be
excelled by any other place, in winter or summer.

Sacramento presents further advantages to the settler. As has
lieen stated, all kinds of fruits of the temperate zone, all semi-tropical
fruits, and even some tropical fruits ripen here in perfection. But a
])eculiar climatic condition prevails in the foothill section of the
Sierras of Sacramento and the adjacent counties. It is known as the
thermal belt. The southern part of the state has been extensively
advertised as the home of the orange and the lemon. AVhile this is
true, it is equally true that Sacramento and adjoining counties are
also the home of the orange and all other citrus fruits and the ship-
ment of such fruits is a constantly increasing factor in their ])ros-
perity. Many hundreds of carloads of oranges, lemons and pomelos
or grape fruit are shipjied to the east annually. The very decided
advantage that Sacramento has over the southern part of the state is
that her oranges ripen from a month to six weeks earlier than in the
south and her crop is practically disposed of in the eastern market for
the Tlianksgiving and holiday trade at high jirices, before the southern
iranges are ripe enough to begin shipment. Such being the case, the
freezing of the orange crop is a thing unknown in Sacramento county,
nor do the later varieties ever suffer from frost.

Olives thrive and bear profitable crops in Sacramento county,
where there are many orchards of them. As fine a quality of oil as
is to be found in the state is made at Fair Oaks, and both there and
in several other places is the business of pickling the ripe olive made
a paying industry.

We are indebted to Nathaniel R. Taylor, local forecaster of tlie
United States Weather Bureau in this city, for very valuable data
concerning the climate and rainfall in this coiintry from 1849 until the
jiresent time. We often hear ]:)ersons make the assertion that our
climate is changing; that this thing or that is not as it was forty or
fifty years ago. While it is true that there is a different amount of
rainfall and temperature during individual years, it will be seen that
taken in cycles of five or ten years, the average weather of the seasons
shows but little variation, and there is no great amount of change for

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 21

tlie past fifty years. The increase in irrigation which has been made
during the past few years, and which will increase rapidly within the
next decade may make a perceptible change in the course of time, as
the creation of the Salton sea has brought about an increased rainfall
in the southern part of the state, but as yet no noticeable change has
occurred here. As will be seen by the foregoing table, our climate is
if anything better than the vaunted climate of Italy and is not mate-
rially different from that of Los Angeles, upon which so much stress
is laid by the inhabitants of the south. Taken all in all, the climate
of our glorious state is unequaled by that of any similar extent of
country in the world, and the Californian who desires a change of
climate can easily obtain it in a few hours, without lea^dng his own
state.

As will be seen by the table of absolute maxinmm and absolute
minimum temperature for the last thirty years, taken in cycles of ten
years, the average maximum for the ten years from 1881 to 1891, in-
clusive, is 103.4'; that from 1891 to 1901 is 104.2'; and that from
1901 to 1911 is 103.6'. On the other side, the average minimum from
1881 to 1891 was 26.5'; from 1891 to 1901, it was 27.6'; and from
1901 to 1911 it was 29.4'.

The following table gives the monthly, seasonal and annual rain-
fall from 1849 to January 1, 1912, and will be found a very valuable
one for reference. As will be seen by it, the average seasonal rainfall
for the sixty-two years is 19.48 inches, and the annual rainfall is 19.24
inches.

Sacramento rainfall, monthly, seasonal and annual, 1849-1911:

1849-50.— July, 0; August, 0- September, 0.25; October, 1.50; No-
vember, 2.25; December, 12.50; January, 4.50; February, 0.50; March,
10.00; April, 4.25; May, 0.25; June, 0; seasonal, 36.00; year, 1850;
annual, 19.50.

1850-51.— July, 0; August, 0; September, 0; October, 0; No-
vemlier, T. ; December, T. ; January, 0.65; February, 0.35; March,
1.88; April, 1.14; May, 0.69; June, 0; seasonal, 4.71; year, 1851;
annual, 15.10.

1851-52.— July, 0; August, 0; September, 1.00; October, 0.18; No-
vember, 2.14; December, 7.07; January, 0.58; February, 0.12; March,
6.40; A])ril, 0.19; May, 0.30; Jime, 6; seasonal, 17.98; year, 1852;
annual, 26.99.

1852-53.— July, T. ; August, 0; September, T.; October, 0; No-
vember, 6.00; December, 13.40; January, 3.00; February, 2.00; March,
7.00; April, 3.50; May, 1.45; June, T.; seasonal, 36.35; year, 1853;
annual, 19.99.

1853-54.— July, 0; August, 0; September, T.; October, T.; No-
vember, 1.50; December, 1.54; January, 3.25; February, 8.50; March,
3.25; April, 1.50; May, 0.21; June, 0.31; seasonal, 20.06; year, 1854;
annual, 19.83.

22 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

1854-55.— July, 0 ; August, T. ; September, T. ; October, 1.01 ; No-
vember, 0.65; December, 1.15; January, 2.67; February, 3.46; March,
4.20; April, 4.32; May, 1.15; Jime, 0.01; seasonal, 18.62; year, 1855;
annual, 18.56.

1855-56. — July, 0 ; Augaist, 0 ; Sejjtember, T. ; October, 0 ; No-
vember, 0.75 ; December, 2.00 ; January, 4.92 ; February, 0.69 ; March,
1.40; April, 2.13; May, 1.84; June, 0.03; seasonal, 13.76; year, 1856;
annual, 14.26.

1856-57.— July, 0; August, 0; September, T.; October, 0.20; No-
vember, 0.65; December, 2.40; January, 1.38; February, 4.80; March.
0.68; April, T. ; May, T. ; June, 0.3.5; seasonal, 10.-16; year, 1857;
annual, 12.91.

1857-58.— July, 0; August, T.; September, 0; October, 0.66; No-
vember, 2.41; December, 2.63; January, 2.44; February, 2.46; March,
2.88; April, 1.21; May, 0.20; June, O.iO; seasonal, 14.99; year, 1858;
annual, 16.80.

1858-59.— July, 0.01; August, T. ; Septembei', T. ; October, 3.01;
November, 0.15; December, 4.34; January, 0.96; February, 3.91;
March, 1.64; April, 0.98; May, 1.04; June," 0; seasonal, 16.04; year,
1859; annual, 16.86.

1859-60.— July, 0; August, 0; September, 0.02; October, 0; No-
vember, 6.48; December, 1.83; January, 2.31; Feliruary, 0.93; March,
5.11; Ain-il, 2.87; May, 2.49 ; June, 0.02; seasonal, 22.06; year, 1860;
annual, 19.79.

1860-61.— July, 0.63; August, 0; September, 0.06; October, 0.91;
November, 0.18; December, 4.28; January, 2.67; P"'ebruary, 2.92;
March, 3.32; April, 0.48; May, 0.59; June, 0.14; seasonal, 16.18; year.
1861 ; annual, 21.48.

1861-62.— July, 0.55; August, 0; Septeml)er, 0; October, T.; No-
vember, 2.17; December, 8.64; January, 15.04; February, 4.26; March,
2.80 ; April, 0.82 ; May, 1.81 ; June, 0.01 ; seasonal, 36.io ; year, 1862 ;
annual, 27.44.

1862-63.— July, 0 ; August, 0.01 ; September, 0 ; October, 0.36 ; No-
vember, T. ; December, 2.33; January, 1.73; February, 2.75; March,
2.36; April, 1.69; May, 0..36; June, 0; seasonal, 11.59; year, 1863;
annual, 12.20.

1863-64.— July, 0; August, 0; September, T.; Octol)er, 0; No-
vember, 1.49; December, 1.82; January, 1.08; February, 0.19; March,
1.30; April, 1.08; May, 0.74; June, 0.09; seasonal, 7.79; year, 1864;
anmml, 19.27.

1864-65.— July, 0; August, 0.08; September, T.; October, 0.12;
November, 6.72; December, 7.87; January. 4.78; February, 0.71;
March, 0.48; Ai)ril, 1..37; May, 0.46; June,"0; seasonal, 22.59; year,
1865; annual, 11.15.

1865-66.— July, T.; August, 0; September, 0.08; October, 0.48; No-
vember, 2.43; December, 0.36; January, 7.70; February, 2.01; March,

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 23

2.02; April, 0.48; May, 2.25; Juue, U.IO; seasonal, 17.i»l; year, 1866;
annual, 26.52.

1866-67.— July, 0.02; Augaist, 0; September, 0; October, T. ; No-
vember, 2.43; December, 9.51; January, 3.44; February, 7.10; March,
1.01; April, 1.80; May, 0.01; June, 6; seasonal, 25.32; year, 1867;
annual, 30.03.

1867-68.— July, 0; August, 0; September, 0.01; October, 0; No-
vember, 3.81; December, 12.85; January, 6.04; February, 3.15; March,
4.35; April, 2.31; May, 0.27; June, T.; seasonal, 32.79; year, 1868;
annual, 19.50.

1868-69.— July, 0; August, 0; September, 0; October, 0; No-
vember, 0.77; December, 2.61; January, 4.79; February, 3.63; March,
2.94; April, 1.24; May, 0.65; June, 0.01; seasonal, 16.64; year, 1869;
annual, 18.19.

1869-70.— July, 0; Aug-ust, 0; September, T.; October, 2.12; No-
vember, 0.85; December, 1.96; Jauuar.y, 1.37; February, 3.24; March,
1.64; April, 2.12; May, 0.27; June, T. ; seasonal, 13.57; year, 1870;
annual, 10.21.

1870-71.— July, T.; August, T.; September, 0; October, 0.02; No-
vember, 0.58; December, 0.97; January, 2.08; February, 1.92; March,
0.69; April, 1.45; May, 0.76; June, T. ; seasonal, 8.47; year, 1871;
annual, 18.92.

1871-72.— July, 0; August, 0; September, T.; October, 0.21; No-
vember, 1.22 ; December, 10.59 ; January, 4.04 ; February, 4.74 ; March,
1.94; April, 0.61; May, 0.28; June, 0.02; seasonal, 23.65; year, 1872;
annual, 19.17.

1872-73.— July, 0; August, 0; September, T.; October, 0.22; No-
vember, 1.93; December, 5.39; January, 1.23; February, 4.36; March,
0.55; April, 0.51; May, 0; Jime, T. ; seasonal, 14.19; year, 1873;
annual, 18.20.

1873-74.— July, 0.02; August, T. ; September, 0; October, 0.31;
November, 1.21; December, 10.01; January, 5.20; February, 1.86;
March, 3.05; April, 0.99; May, 0.37; June, T.; seasonal, 22.92; year.
1874; annual, 17.92.

1874-75.— July, T.; August, 0; September, 0.05; October, 2.26;
November, 3.80; December, 0.44; January, 8.70; February, 0.55;
March, 0.80; April, T.; May, T. ; June, 1.10; seasonal, 17.70; year,
1875; annual, 23.31.

1875-76— July, 0 ; August, 0 ; September, 0 ; October, 0.44 ; Novem-
ber, 6.20; December, 5.52; January, 4.99; February, 3.75; March, 4.15;
x\pril, 1.10; Mav, 0.15; June, 0; seasonal, 26.30; vear, 1876; annual,
18.12.

1876-77— Julv, 0.21; August, 0.02; September, T. ; October, 3.45;
November, 0.30 ; December, 0; Januarv, 2.77; February, 1.04; March.
0.56; April, 0.19; May, 0.64; June, 0.01; seasonal. 9.19; year, 1877;
annual, 8.44.

24 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

1877-78— July, T.; August, T.; September, 0; October, 0.73; Nov-
ember, 1.07; December, 1.43; January, 9.26; February, 8.04; March,
3.09; April, 1.07; May, 0.17; June, 0; seasonal, 24.86; year, 1878;
annual, 23.45.

1878-79— July, 0 ; August, 0 ; September, 0.29 ; October, 0.55, Nov-
ember, 0.51; December, 0.47; January, 3.18; February, 3.88; March,
4.88; April, 2.66; May, 1.30; June, 0.13; seasonal, 17.85; year, 1879;
annual, 22.37.

1879-80— July, T. ; August, T. ; September, 0 ; October, 0.88 ; Nov-
ember, 2.05; December, 3.41; January, 1.64; February, 1.83; March,
1.70; April, 14.20; May, 0.76; June,"0; seasonal, 26.47; year, 1880;
annual, 31.99.

1880-81— July, T.; Augaist, 0; September, O;0ctober, 0; Novem-
ber, 0.05; December, 11.81; January, 6.14; February, 5.06; March,
1.37; April, 1.64; May, T.; June, 0.50; seasonal, 26.57; year, 1881;
annual, 20.71.

1881-82— July, T.; August, 0; September, 0.30; October, 0.55; Nov-
ember, 1.88; December, 3.27; January, 1.89; February, 2.40; March,
3.78; April, 1.99; May, 0.35; June, 0.10; seasonal, 16.51; year, 1882;
annual, 18.06.

1882-83— July, T.; August, 0; September, 0.57; October, 2.63; Nov-
ember, 3.22; December, 1.13; January, 2.23; Februarv, 1.11; March,
3.70; April, 0.67; May, 2.85; June, 0; seasonal, 18.il; year, 1883;
annual, 13.48.

1883-84— July, 0 ; August, 0 ; September, 0.90 ; October, 0.97 ; Nov-
ember, 0.61; December, 0.44; Januarv, 3.43; Februarv, 4.46; March,
8.14; April, 4.32; May, 0.06; June, 1.45; seasonal, 24.78; year, 1884;
annual, 34.92.

1884-85— July, 0 ; August, T. ; September, 0.60 ; October, 2.01, Nov-
ember, 0; December, 10.45; January, 2.16; Februarv, 0.49; March,
0.08; April, 0.68; May, T. ; June, 0.11; seasonal, 16.58; vear, 1885;
annual, 20.72.

1885-86— July, T.; August, 0; September, 0.08; October, 0.02; Nov-
ember, 11.34; December, 5.76; Januarj^, 7.95; February, 0.29; March,
2.68; April, 4.08; May, 0.07; June, 0; seasonal, 32.27; year, 1886;
annual, 18.17.

1886-87— July, 0; August, 0; September, 0; October, 0.68; Nov-
ember, 0.21; December, 2.21; January, 1.12; Februarv, 6.28; March,
0.94; April, 2.53; Mav, T.; June, OJ seasonal, 13.97; vear, 1887;
annual, 13.43.

1887-88— July, 0; August, T.; September, 0.02; October, 0; Nov-
ember, 0.45; December, 2.09; January, 4.81; Februarv, 0.57; March,
3.04; April, 0.10; May, 0.40; June, 0.08; seasonal, 11.56; year, 1888;
annual, 18.46.

1888-89— July, T. ; August, T. ; September, 0.55 ; October, 0 ; Nov-
ember, 4.28; December, 4.63; January, 0.15; Februarv, 0.33; March,
6.25 ; April, 0.26 ; Mav,. 3.25 ; June, 0.25 ; seasonal, 19.95 ; year, 1889 ;
annual, 27.48.

1889-90— July, 0; August, 0; September, 0; October, 6.02; Nov-
ember, 3.15 ; December, 7.82 ; .January, 6.62 ; February, 4.06 ; March,

HISTOEY OF SACBAMi^NTU COUNTY 25

3.00; April, 1.33; May, 1.80; June, 0; seasonal, 33.80; year, 1890;
annual, 20.95.

1890-91— July, 0; Aiioust, T.; September, 0.80; October, T.; Nov-
ember, 0; December, 3.34; January, 0.53; February, 6.61; March,
1.78; April, 2.04; May, 0.66; June, 0.05; seasonal, 15.81; year, 1891;
annual, 15.63.

1891-92— July, T. ; August, 0 ; September, 0.10 ; October, 0.10 ; Nov-
ember, 0.48; December, 3.28; January, 1.78; February, 2.84; March,
3.02; April, 1.20; Mav, 2.38; June, T.; seasonal, 15.18; year, 1892;
annual, 23.60.

1892-93— July, 0; August, 0; September, 0.18; October, 0.70; Nov-
ember, 6.60, December, 4.90; January, 3.27; February, 2.66; March,
.3.51; April, 1.08; May, 1.05; June, 0; seasonal, 2.3.95; year, 1893;
annual, 16.59.

1893-94— July, T. ; August, T. ; September, 0.22 ; October, 0.12 ; Nov-
ember, 2.92; December, 1.76; January, 4.17; February, 3.92; March
0.74; April, 0.34; May, 1.70; June, 0.46; seasonal, 16.35; year, 1894;
annual, 22.61.

1894-95— July, T. ; August, T. ; September, 0.88 ; October, 1.06 ; Nov-
ember, 0.48; December, 8.86; January, 8.42; February, 1.84; March,
1.20; April, 0.86; May, 0.51; June, 0; seasonal, 24.11; year, 1895;
annual, 17.38.

1895-96— July, 0.04; August, T. ; September, 1.26: October, 0.17;
November, 1.54 ; December, 1.54 ; January, 9.76 ; February, 0.09 ; March,
2.57; April. 5.34; May, 0.92; June, 0; seasonal, 23.23;" year, 1896;
annual, 25.06.

1896-97— July, T.; August, 0.20; September, 0.31; October, 0.55;
November, 3.56 ; December, 1.76 ; January, 3.66 ; February, 4.15 ; March.
2.54; April, 0.25; May, 0.30; June, 0.04; seasonal, 17.32; year, 1897;
annual, 15.32.

1897-98— July, 0 ; August, 0.01 ; September, 0.16 ; October, 1.96 ; Nov-
ember, 0.61; December, 1.64; January, 0.98; February, 3.19; March,
0.04; April, 0.28; May, 1.50; June, 0.14; seasonal, 10.51; year, 1898;
annual, 10.04.

1898-99— July, 0; August, 0; September, 0.36; October, 0.64;
November, 0.61; December, 2.30; January, 3.94; February, 0.04; March,
6.02; April, 0.10; May, 0.54; June, 0.49;' seasonal, 15.04; year, 1899:
annual, 21.14.

1899-00— July, 0 ; August, 0.02 ; September, 0 ; October, 4.46 ; Nov
ember, 2.62; December, 2.91; January, 3.54; February, 0.32; March,
1.61, April, 1.88; May, 2.88; June, T.; seasonal, 20.24; year, 1900:
annual, 17.91.

1900-01— July, T.; August, 0; September, 0.06; October, 1.74; Nov
ember, 4.50; December, 1.38; January, 3.70; February. 5.32; March,
0.48; April, 2.23; Mav, 0.80; June, T"; seasonal, 20.21; year, 1901;
annual, 18.52.

1901-02— July, 0 ; August, T. ; September, 0.56 ; October, 1.56 ; Nov-
ember, 2.68; December, 1.19; January, 0.95; February, 6.52; March,
1.99; April, 1.36; May, 0.45; June, 0.01; seasonal, 17.27; year, 1902;
annual, 17.88.

1902-03— July, 0; Augiist, T.; September, 0; October, 1.67; Nov-

26 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ember, 2.02; December, 2.91; January, 3.05; February, 1.70; March,
4.81; April, 0.46; May, T. ; June, T.;" seasonal, 16.62; year, 1903;
annual, 14.70.

1903-04— July, 0 ; August, 0 ; September, 0 ; October, 0.12 ; Nov-
ember, 3.44; December, 1.12; January, 0.45; February, 5.26; Marchj
5.43; April, 1.02; Mav, 0.03; June, T. ; seasonal, 16.87; vear, 1904;
annual, 20.99.

1904-05— July, T.; August, 0.07; September, 3.62; October, 1.86;
Noyember 2.05; December, 1.20; January, 3.33; February, 2.47; March,
3.75; April, 1.18; May, 2.45; June, 0; "seasonal, 21.98; year, 1905;
annual, 14.97.

1905-06— July, 0; August, T.; September, 0.03; October, 0; Nov-
ember, 1.20 ; December, 0.56 ; January, 6.63 ; February. 3.02 ; March,
8.45; April, 1.21; May, 2.24; Jime, 0.59; seasonal, 23.93; year, 1906;
annual, 30.70.

1906-07— July, 0 ; August, T. ; September, 0.20 ; October, T. ; Nov-
ember, 0.99 ; December, 7.37 ; January, 4.63 ; February, 2.37 ; March,
7.28; April, 0.25; May, 0.10; June, 0.85; seasonal, 24.04; year, 1907;
annual, 20.05.

1907-08— July, 0; August, 0; September, T.; October, 1.20; Nov-
ember, 0.04; December, 3.33; January, 3.84; February, 2.75 March,
0.42; April, 0.08; May, 0.54; June, T.; seasonal, 12.20; yeai. 1908:
annual, 11.21.

1908-09— July, T.; August, 0; September, 0.05; October, 0.26; Nov-
ember, 1.23; December, 2.04; January, 9.65; February. 6.68; March,
1.84; April, T. ; May, T. ; June, 0.03;" seasonal,, 21.78; year. 1909;
annual, 24.87.

1909-10— July, 0 ; August, 0 ; September, 0.21 ; October, 1.27 ; Nov-
ember, 1.32; December, 3.87; January, 1.48; February, 0.83; March,
3.06; April, 0.11; May, 0.03; June, T. ; seasonal, 12.18; year. 1910;
annual, 7.78.

1910-11— July, T. ; August, 0 ; September, 0.20 ; October, 0.28 ; Nov-
ember; 0.17; December, 1.62; January, 12.72; February, 1.88; March,
4.30; April, 0.66; May, 0.03; June, 0.12; seasonal, 21.98; year. 1911;
annual, 21.11.

1911-12— July, 0; August, 0; September, T.; October, 0.18; Nov-
ember, 0.15; December, 1.07; January, 0; February, 0; March, 0;
April, 0; May, 0; June, 0; seasonal, 0; year, 1912; annual, 0;

Means (62 years), July, 0.02; August, 0.01; September, 0.22; Oct-
ober, 0.83; November, 2.02; December, 3.95; January, 3.96; Februarv,
2.89; March, 3.00; April, 1.58; May, 0.80; Jime, 0.12; seasonal, 19.48;
annual, 19.24.

TEMPERATURES

Following is a table of al>soliite maxinnim and minimum tempera-
tures since 1878:

Year, 1878: Absolute maximum, 100 in August; a1)solute minimum,

24 in December.

Year, 1879 : Al)solute maximum, 103 in August ; absolute minimum,

25 in Deceml)er.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 27

Year, 1880: Absolute niaxinuun, 98 in July; absolute iiiuuinum,
25 in January.

Year, 1881: Absolute niaxinuun, !)8 in July; al)solnte minimuni,
32 in November and December.

Year. 1882: Absolute maximum, lOU in August and Septeniher ;
absolute minimum, 27 in December.

Year, 1883: Absolute maximum, 104- in July; absolute niiniuunn,
22 in January and February.

Year, 1884: Absolute maximum, 100 in August; absohite mini-
mum, 21 in February.

Year, 1885: Absolute maximum, 105 in August; absolute mini-
mum, 34 in January.

Year, 1886: Absolute niaxinuun, 105 in July; absolute minimum,

28 in January.

Year, 1887: Absolute maximum, 100 in June, August and Sep-
tember; alisolute minimum, 28 in November.

Year, 1888 : Absolute maximum, 108 in August ; absolute minimum,
19 in January.

Year, 1889 : Absolute maximum, 104 in July, absolute minimum,
31 in January and February.

Year, 1890: Absolute maximum, 102 in July; absolute miniinum,

29 in January.

Year, 1891: Absolute maximum, 106 in June, July and August;
absolute minimum, 26 in December.

Year, 1892 : Absolute maximum, 106 in August ; alisolute mini-
mum, 26 in December.

Year, 1893: Absolute maximum, 103 in July; absolute minimum,
28 in December.

Year, 1894: Absolute maximum, 108 in August; absolute mini-
mum, 26 in December.

Year, 1895: Absolute maximum, 102 in June; absolute minimum
28 in December.

Y'ear, 1896: Absolute maximum, 104 in July, absolute miuinium
28 in January.

Year, 1897: Absolute maximum, 105 in July; absolute luininium

28 in December.

Year, 1898: Absolute maximum, 110 in August, absolute mini
mum, 26 in January.

Year, 1899: Absolute maximum, 102 in July; absolute niinimum

30 in February.

Y^ear, 1900: Absolute maximum, 102 in August; absolute mini
mum, 30 in December.

Year. 1901: Absolute maximum, 105 in August; absolute mini
mum, 26 in January.

Year, 1902: Absolute maximum, 107 in July; absolute miniinum

29 in January.

Year, 1903 : Absolute maximum, 102 in September ; absolute mini
mum, 29 in January.

Year, 1904: Absolute maximum, 102 in September, absolute mini
mum, 32 in January.

28 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

Year, 1905 : Absolute maxinnim, 110 in July ; absolute minimum.

28 in December.

Year, 1906: Absolute maximum, 104 in July, absolute minimum,

30 in December.

Year, 1907: Absolute maximum, 99 in August; absolute minimum,

31 in January.

Year, 1908: Absolute maximum, 103 in August; absolute mini-
mum, 28 in December.

Year, 1909: Absolute maximum, 101 in July; absolute minimum,

29 in December.

Year, 1910: Absolute maxinmm, 103 in May; absolute minimum,
28 in January.

Year, 1911: Absolute maximum, 100 in July; absolute minimum.

30 in December.

The following tables will be found of interest in relation to climate:

TEMPERATURE, RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND PERCENTAGE OF SUNSHINE.

Average Conditions by Montbs

Humidity 24 years. Sunshine mean for 5 years.

January: Humidity, 5 a. m., 86; 5 p. m.. 71; per cent of sunshine.
37; hours of sunshine, 111.5.

February: Humidity, 5 a. m., 83; 5 p. m., 61; per cent of sunshine,
54; hours of sunshine, 162.2.

March: Humidity, 5 a. m., 81; 5 p. m., 55; per cent of sunshine, 63;
hours of sunshine, 234.5.

April : Humidity, 5 a. m., 79 ; 5 p. m., 46 ; per cent of sunshine, 81 ;
hours of sunshine, 323.4.

May: Humidity, 5 a. m., 78; 5 p. m., 44; per cent of sunshine, ^3;
hours of sunshine, 368.0.

June: Humidity, 5 a. m., 75; 5 p. m., 38; per cent of sunshine, 87;
hours of sunshine, 390.4.

July: Humidity, 5 a. m., 75; 5 p. m., 34; per cent of sunshine. 96;
hours of sunshine, 4.34.3.

August : Humidity, 5 a. m., 75 ; 5 p. m., 35 ; per cent of sunshine, !)6 ;
hours of .sunshine, 405.4.

September : Ilumiflity, 5 a. m., 72 ; 5 p. m., 36 ; )ier cent of sunshine,
88; hours of sunsliine, 329.3.

October: Humidity, 5 a. m., 74; 5 p. m., 43; ]ier cent of sunshine.
77 ; hours of sunshine, 265.7.

November: Humidity, 5 a. in., 76; 5 p. m., 53 ; per cent of sunshine,
60 ; hours of sunshine, 180.0.

December: Humidity, 5 a. m., 82; 5 p. m., 40; jier cent of sunshine,
38; hours of sunshine, 111.2.

EXTREME TEMPERATURES.

1878 to 1911, Inclusive.

January : Al)solute maximum, 72; year and date, 30, 1899 ; absolute
minimum, 19; year and date, 14,1888.

HISTOEY UF «A(JiiAMENTO COUNTY 2y

February: Absolute maximum, 76; year and date, 28, 1889; abso-
lute minimum, 21 ; year and date, 13, 1884.

March: Absolute maximum, 80; year and date, 30, 1882; absolute
minimum, 29 ; year and date, 15, 1880.

April: Absolute maximum, 89; year and date, 24, 1910; absolute
minimum, 35 ; year and date, 4, 1901.

May: Absolute maximum, 103; year and date, 30.1910; absolute
minimum, 39 ; year and date, 9, 1896.

June: Absolute maximum, 106; year and date, 30, 1891; absolute
minimum, 44; year and date, 1, 1890.

July: Absolute maximum, 110; year and date, 8, 1905; absolute
minimum, 47 ; year and date, 3, 1901.

August: Absolute maximum, 110; year and date, 11, 1898; absolute
minimum, 48; year and date, 30, 1887.

September : Absolute maximum, 106 ; year and date, 1 1 , 1888 ; abso-
lute minimum, 44 ; year and date, 18, 1882.

October: Absolute maximum, 98; year and date, 3, 1885; absolute
mininnmi, 36; year and date, 14, 1881.

November : Absolute maximiun, 81 ; year and date, 5, 1898 ; absolute
minimum, 27 ; year and date. 28, 1880.

December : Absolute maximum, 69 ; year and date, 8, 1893 ; absolute
minimum, 24; vear and date. 14, 1883.

EXTREMES OF WIND.

1895 to 1911, Inclusive.

January: Maximum velocity, 60; direction. Southeast; year, 1901
day, 3.

February : Maximum velocity, 60 ; direction. Southeast ; year, 1902
day, 25.

March : Maximum velocitv, 65 ; direction. Southeast ; year, 1904
day, 10.

April : Maximum velocity, 46; direction. South; year, 1902; day, 7

May: Maximum velocity, 45; direction. Northwest; year, 1902
day. 18.'

June: Maximum ^■elocitv, 42; direction, Northwest; venr, 1886
day. 12.

Jiilv: Maximum velocitv, 40; direction, Northwest; vear, 1903
day, 2.

Aiis^ust: Maximum veloritv, 38; direction. Soutliwest ; vear, 1908
dav, 9.

September: Maximum velocitv, 40; direction. Northwest: vear
1903; day, 11.

(Vtober: Maximum velocitv, 48; direction. South; vear, 18 »4
day, 20.

November: Maximum \eIocitv, 48; direction. North; vear, 1895
day, 22.

December : Maximum velocitv, 60 ; direction. Southeast ; year, 1894
dav, 9.

30 HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY

CHAPTER IV

GEN. JOHN A. SUTTER

No man's name is so intimately connected with the settlement of
Sacramento city and county as that of Gen. John A. Sutter, the first
permanent white settler within its limits and the pioneer of civiliza-
tion here. Born of Swiss parents, in the Grand Duchy of Baden,
February 28, 1803, and educated there, he entered the French military
service as captain under Charles X and remained there until he was
thirty years of age. Embarking for New York, he arrived there in
July, 1834, having come to select a place and prepare the way for a
colony of his countrymen in the west. His first location was at
St. Charles, Mo., but liaving lost his property through the sinking of
a vessel, he abandoned the place. Leaving St. Louis, where he had
stayed for a time, he went to New Mexico. There lie met some hunters
and trappers, who told him of Uiiper California, whither they had
journeyed, of its fertile and beautiful valleys, its verdant foothills
and its lofty mountain ranges, covered with magnificent pine and
redwood forests. He at once resolved to go to this state and make
it liis future field of labor. There being no lines of steamers running
to California ports, the only way of arriving here was to cross the
))lains and mountains with one of the trapping expeditions of the
American or English fur companies. Accordinglj^, April 1, 1836, he
joined Captain Tripp, of the American F'ur Company, and traveled
with him to the rendezvous in the Rocky Mountains. , Crossing the
mountains with six horsemen, after a long and dangerous trip, he ar-
rived at Fort Vancouver. Embarking on a vessel bound for the
Sandwich Islands, he hoped to find an opportunity to sail thence to
the Pacific Coast and sailed from the islands in a vessel bound for
Sitka and from there down the coast. July 2, 1839, the vessel was
driven by furious gales into the bay of Yerba Buena (as San Fran-
cisco was then called), and there was boarded by a government officer
with an armed force, who ordered him to leave, saying that Monterey,
ninety miles -south, was the port of entry. Sutter, however, obtained
leave to stay forty-eight hours in order to jirocure supplies.

When he reached Monterey he succeeded in meeting Governor
Alvarado, whom he told that he wished to secure and colonize a sec-
tion of country in Upper California on the Sacramento river. The
governor, who was desirous that the country should be subdued and
settled, warmly approved Sutter's plan, but warned him that the In-
dians were hostile and would not allow the whites to settle there;
further, that they had robbed the people of San Jose and the lower
country of their cattle and other property. However, he gave Sutter
a passport with authority to explore and occupy any territory he

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 31

might consider desirable for liis colony, and requested him to return
in one year, when he should have his citizenship acknowledged and
receive a grant of such lands as he might desire to secure.

Returning to Yerba Bueua, wliich at that time contained scarcely
fifty inhabitants, Sutter secured a schooner and several small boats
with which to explore the interior, and started with ten whites to
ascend the river. He could secure no guide, as no one could be found
who had ever ascended the Sacramento river. However, in eight days
he discovered the mouth of the river. Reaching a point about ten
miles below the present city of Sacramento, he came on a jiarty of
about two hundred Indians who showed hostility. As some of the In-
dians fortunately understood Spanish, Sutter was able to assure them
that there were no Spaniards (against whom the Indians showed par-
ticular hostility) among his party, and explained that he was simply
a peaceful citizen, coming among them to settle and trade. Finally
he was guided by two Indians who spoke Spanish, up the river to the
Feather river. He made his way up this river for some distance, but
some of his white men became alarmed and discontented and he was
constrained to return. Reaching the mouth of the American river, he
ascended it a short distance, and AugTist 15, 1839, landed at a point
on the southern side, where he afterward established his tannery,
within the limits of the present city. After landing his effects on the
following morning, he informed the discontented whites that if they
wished to return to Yerba Buena they could do so, but that he was
determined to remain, and that the Kanakas were willing to remain
with him. Three of the whites determined to leave and he put them
in possession of the schooner, with instructions to them to deliver it to
its owners when they reached Yerba Buena. They started the next
day.

Three weeks later he moved to the sjiot where he afterwards con-
structed Fort Sutter, which was destined in a few years to ])ecome
the niicleus of civilization in the Sacramento valley. He encountered
iriany troubles with the Indians in the early days of his settlement,
and a number of plots were laid to massacre him and his men and
secure the goods which were such a great temptation to the aborigines.
These iilots were foiled, several of them, as the Indians afterwards
confessed to him, through the vigilance of his favorite bulldog. After-
ward manv of the Indians, at first most hostile to him, became his
firmest friends and co-operated with him in his work. He now de-
voted himself to agriculture and raising cattle and soon became
wealthy and prosperous. His companions at this time were six no-
madic whites of various nationalities, and eight Kanakas, who always
remained faithful to him, and who constituted his "colony" and his
army. They aided him in subduing and colonizing a large area before
totally unknown and inhabited by roving tribes of hostile Indians.
The nearest white settlement was at Martinez, and the Indians around

32 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

him were known as "Diggers," from their habit of digging roots for
food.

In the fall of 1839 he bought from Senor Martinez three hundred
head of cattle, thirty horses and thirty mares. During the fall eight
more white men were added to his colony. Having been considerably
handicapped by the lack of lumber and timber during his construction
of the fort, he floated some down the American river, and was also
compelled to send for some to Bodega, on the coast, a distance of sev-
eral hundred miles. In 1840 five white men who had crossed tlie
Rocky Mountains with him and whom he had left in Oregon, joined
him, swelling his colony to twenty-five, seventeen being white men and
the others being Kanakas. During the fall of that year General Sut-
ter was forced to make open war on the Mokelumne Indians, who had
become troublesome, stealing live stock from the settlers and render-
ing themselves obnoxious by their acts and menaces. He marshalled
his army of "six brave men and two baqueros," as his diary quaintly
states, and marched against the Indians in the night time. Coming to
the camp where they had concentrated over two hundred warriors, he
attacked them so determinedly that they retreated and sued for peace.
He granted it readily and it was ever afterward mutually maintained.
In time he made the Indians cultivate the soil, help build his fort,
care for the stock and be useful in various other ways. In the mili-
tarj^ history of California at a later date, he and his Indians were an
important factor. He iiurchased a thousand more cattle and seventy-
five more horses and mules, and his herds began to increase in num-
bers and value. He sent hides to San Francisco, kept supplies for the
trappers and purchased their skins and either employed all the me-
chanics and laborers or found work for them.

In June, 1841, General Sutter visited Monterey, the capital, where
he was declared a Mexican citizen and received from Governor Alva-
rado a grant for his land, under the name of New Helvetia, he having
caused a survey of it to be made for him. He was also honored with
a commission as "represendente del Govierno en las fronteras del
norte y encargado de la jnsticia." He was visited shortly after by
Captain Ringgold of the United States exploring exjiedition under
Commodore Wilkes. About the same time Alexander Rotcheff, gov-
ernor of the Russian possessions. Fort Ross and Bodega, offered to
sell to him the Russian possessions, settlements and ranches at those
places. The terms were advantageous and Sutter purchased them at
a price of $30,000. Besides the vast area of real estate, he came into
possession of two thousand cattle, over one thousand horses, fifty
mules and two thousand sheep, the most of which were driven to New
Helvetia and added to his herds there. In 1844 he petitioned Governor
Micheltorena for the grant or purchase of the sobrante or surplus,
over the first eleven leagues of land within the bounds of the survey
of the Alvarado grant, which the governor agreed to let him have.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 33

but the grant was not finally executed until February 5, 1845. During
this time he had rendered valuable military services and advanced
supplies to the government to enable it to suppress the Castro rebel-
lion. For these considerations and personal services he obtained by
(jnrchase the sobraute or surplus.

When the Mexican war broke out, although Sutter was a Mexican
citizen and an officer under that government, his respect for the citi-
zens and the institutions of the United States was such that his un-
bounded hospitality was extended to all Americans, civil or military,
who visited him. When the country surrendered to the American
forces, Sutter, being convinced that all was over, heartily hoisted the
American flag July 11, 1846, and accompanied it with a salute from
the guns of the fort. Lieutenant Missoon, of the United States navy,
soon after organized a garrison for the fort and gave Sutter the com-
mand which he held till peace was declared. He was appointed alcalde
by Commodore Stockton and Indian agent by General Kearney, with
a salary of $750 a year, but his first trip in discharge of his duty cost
him $1600 and he naturally resigned his office. During all these years
his hand and his fort were always open to relieve the distressed. As
he said afterwards, "I have never turned a jnan away hungry or re-
fused him shelter." Many a party of immigrants who had arrived
near the fort half-starved and destitute, sent one of the party in ad-
vance to ask assistance, and Sutter alwa.vs granted it, often sending
an expedition out to bring in the exhausted. On one occasion ('aptain
Fremont, who had been exploring farther north with a party, man-
aged to reach the fort and announced that his party was exhausted
and destitute some distance away. General Sutter immediately dis-
patched an expedition which relieved them and brought them in. A
handsome fortune was expended by him in like charitable acts and he
was a great favorite among the pioneers on account of his large-
hearted generosity. The hungry he never turned away. Often they
were nursed back to health and strength on his place. On one occasion
a solitary starving immigrant reached the fort and announced that his
party some distance l)eliind were starving. Immediately General Sut-
ter packed seven mules with supplies and sent them in charge of two
Indian boys to the rescue of the party. On their arrival everything
was seized and devoured by the famished wretches. Other starving
immigrants arriving on the scene, they killed the seven mules and ate
them, then killed and ate the two Indian boys. Afterwards Sutter
said with much feeling, "They ate my Indian boys all up."

However, evil days were at hand. "Ingratitude, more strong than
traitor's arms" was to reduce the old pioneer to poverty. Gold was
discovered. While a boon to the country and hailed with delight all
over the world, this proved the ruin of the grand old man. His la-
borers and mechanics deserted Mm. His mill was forced to cease
operation. He could not hire labor to plant his crops or cut his

34 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ripened grain. Laborers would not work for less than an ounce of
gold a day, as they could often make more in the mines. The influx
of immigration had brought men of all nations. Among them were
many who had no respect for the property of others. Convicts from
Australia, thieves and murderers from the east, flocked to the coast.
Both as a Mexican citizen and as a citizen of the United States by
the treaty with Mexico, General Sutter considered himself doubly pro-
tected in his property rights and felt that he held a strong claim on
his coiantry's justice. But many of the newcomers took forcible pos-
session of his land and began to cut his wood, claiming that it was
vacant and unappropriated land of the United States. Up to Janu-
ary, 1852, the settlers had occupied all of his land capable of settle-
ment and appropriation, while another class had stolen all of his cat-
tle, horses, mules, sheep and hogs, except a few that he himself had
sold. During the high water of 1849-50 one party of five men killed
and sold enough of his cattle (which were surrounded by water near
the river) to amount to $60,0U0. Despoiled of his propertj", he re-
moved to the west bank of the Ffeather and took up his residence at
Hock farm, where, in the midst of his family, recently arrived from
England, he led a quiet life. Later he went to Washington to press
his claims upon the government for the losses sustained by him from
the immigrants in the early days. During 1873 he removed to Lititz,
Pa., and June 18, 1880, he died at Washington, D. C, after having
devoted his last years to endeavoring to obtain from congress redress
for his wrongs. It is to the honor of California that in 1864 a bill
was introduced in^the state senate by Hon. J. P. Buckley and became
a law, appropriating $15,000 to be paid in installments of $250 per
month, for the benefit of Sutter and his heirs. In 1870 another bill
by Hon. W. E. Eichelroth was passed, providing $250 a month for two
years, and in 1872 a similar bill by Hon. B. C. Northrup. Thus the
state he founded, more grateful than the country to which he was
instrumental in giving an empire whose gold saved the Union in the
Civil War, made the latter days of the noble-hearted old man com-
fortable.

CHAPTER V
THE PORT RESTORED

As time rolled on after General Sutter removed to his farm, and
afterwards to the east, the decay of the old fort set in. Wind and
storm did their work. The adobe bricks became loosened, and the
tiles of the roof became broken and loosened. The property had
passed into other hands and was used for other purposes than had
been originally intended. The two blocks on which the fort stood had
been cut up into lots by John A. Sutter, Jr., and sold to different
parties, but had finally all come into the ownership of Benjamin Mer-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 35

rill, who was residing in the east. Like many non-residents, he took
no care of the property and allowed it to deteriorate. Some enter-
prising individual stuck a long hop pole, bearing an old red flannel
shirt, through the roof like a flag pole. The underpinning became
dilapidated and the venerable ruin was used as a chicken house and
hog pen. The walls cracked open, and it was evident that the days of
the historic relic would soon be ended by its collapse. Many citizens
regretted its passing, but as usual notliing was done to preserve it.
Finally the board of city trustees decided to open Twenty-seventh
street from K to L. The street would run through the old fort and
necessitate its destruction. Still the community was apathetic and
the historic building seemed doomed. But Sacramento contained one
patriotic citizen who was determined to avert this disgrace, if possible.
Gen. James G. Martine, whose brain was always filled with ideas for
promoting the progress and jjrosperity of the city, took immediate
action. As a result the following open letter was published, June 4,
1889, in the Bccorcl-Unioii, and later in the press of the coast, and
also in many newspapers in the east, where it would come to the
notice of pioneers : 12G2*793

"To the Pioneers of the Pacific Coast, Gentlemen: In the year
'49, and even before that date, you left home, friends and all that was
dear to you, and journeyed to the shores of the broad Pacific in search
of fame and fortune. After many months of toil and hardshij) you
finally reached her golden shores, both tired and hungry. Who was
the first to reach you a helping hand and say to you : ' Come, my sons,
you are strangers in a strange land, and while you are here make my
house your home, and what is in it is yours'? Pioneers, do you re-
member how grateful you felt then for the shelter given you i)y Sut-
ter's fort? Well, gentlemen, that was nearly forty years ago, and the
old fort is still in the same ))lace, but in a most wretched condition,
and while most of your noble band have been blessed with good health,
wealth and happiness, this old friend has fared badly. It is now old
and can hardly stand, and unless you come to the rescue it will soon
fall by the wayside. Pioneers, there are many of you on the Pacific
Coast, and a few dollars from each of you would buy the ground and
fix up the old Sutter's fort as it was in the old days of '49. Once re-
paired, it would be a lasting monument to you all long after you have
crossed the silent river. I am not rich by any means, but if the Pio-
neers or Native Sons do not take this worthy object in hand at once,
I suggest that a siibscription be raised among the citizens of Sacra-
mento to purchase the ground and rejiair the old fort. I will sub-
scribe fifty dollars towards it. Sacramento has but few historic relics
left, and it would be a burning shame to have Sutter's fort torn down.
The city authorities have already announced their intention of pulling
it down unless something is done with it, and there is no time to lose."
(Sig-ned) J. G. MARTINE.

36 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

The appeal commanded attention and responses came from in-
dividuals throughout the state, commending Mr. Martine's pro]iosal,
and making donations toward carrying it out. Mr. Martine olitained
a subscription from Col. C. F. Crockef of $15,000 on behalf of himself
and family, and $500 from Mrs. Leland Stanford, the governor stating
later that he would make up any existing deticiency. The Native Sons
took up the matter, and Mr. Merrill finally set a price of $20,000 on
the property, subscribing $2,000 of the amount himself. It was found,
when the first payment was made, September 12, 1889, that John Rider
and the city of Sacramento owned an interest in a part of the fort,
but the title was cleared and the jnirchase made, the Native Sons'
canvassing committee and others having secured the necessary funds.
The iiroperty was deeded to the Native Sons and by them to the
state.

In 1891 the legislature passed a bill appro])riating $20,000 foi"
the restoration of the fort, and it is worthy of remembrance that in
the assembly Beecher and Phillips, both members of the order of
Native Sons, voted against it, the latter moving to cut down the ap-
propriation to $10,000. The governor appointed as the first board of
trustees to manage the property, which had been conveyed to the
state: C. E. Grunsky, of San Francisco; E. E. Gaddis, Woodland;
Frank D. Ryan, Sacramento; Charles E. Hollister, Courtland, and
Eugene J. Gregory, Sacramento, all natives of California. Consider-
able feeling was engendered among the Pioneers, who had worked and
contributed to the purchase of the fort, that no member of their so-
ciety had been appointed on the board.

The first adobe brick for the restoration of the fort was laid Sep-
tember 21, 1891, the bricks being made from the soil on which the
fort stands, mixed with straw, and of the same material which Sutter
used in its construction. The same cannon which guarded the fort
after its comjiletion are to be seen on the grounds today, as well as
the heav\ cannon which General Sutter purchased from the Russians
with Fort Ross, one of which was presented to John Stuber in 1855
by General Sutter, and which for many years guarded the entrance
of Pioneers' Hall on Seventh street. The original adobe bricks were
made by the Digger Indians, who used their hands for molding them,
and their finger marks were to be seen when they were again used.
One of them was dislodged from the wall during the restoration, and
was found to be the corner-stone, on which was chiseled signs of the
"Indian Masonic" order which was known to exist among the tribes.
The tiles used in the restoration were of ancient Sjianish manufac-
ture, such as were used in the early days. The fort as restored is
constructed with double adobe bricks, covered with concrete plaster
to preserve them from the ravages of the weather.

Some years later the Native Daughters of the local parlors
jilanted trees and flowers on the grounds, and within the past three

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 37

years the state has hiid out a park, made a small lake and beautified
the grounds, which are under the care of a gardener. Within the
coiirt inside of the fort are found a number of relics of the early days :
an old Wells-Fargo coach with the marks of Indian bullets on it, an
old ])rairie schooner that came across the plains, an old Mexican cart
with solid wooden wheels sawed from the trunk of a tree, and other
things. There is also a museum containing many old-time relics. The
rooms of the old fort liave been restored as nearly as possible to their
original status by the trustees of the fort, after consultation with
Gen. John Bidwell, who was General Sutter's financial agent, and
Charles Stevens of San Francisco, who was Sutter's bookkee])ei- in
1847 and 1848.

CHAPTER VI
THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD

We generally sjjeak of the discovery of gold in California as
having been made by James Marshall at Coloma, in January, 1848,
and while this is true in a practical sense, resulting in the stampede
that brought adventurers from all over the world to this state, there
is no doul)t that tlie existence of gold had been known many years
liefore.

The first mention of gold in California is found in Hakluyt's ac-
count of the voyage of Sir Francis Drake, who si)ent five or six weeks
in June and July, 1579, in some bay on the coast of California, the
locality of which has never been settled as to whether it was San
Francisco Bay or one of those farther north. Hakluyt wrote: "There
is no part of the earth here to be taken up wherein there is not a
reasonable amount of gold or silver." As neither gold or silver has
ever been found in the vicinity of the jjoint where Drake landed,
Hakluyt's story must be classed with other tales of the early ex-
l>lorers and as mere conjecture regarding an unknown land.

However, other early ex]ilorers stated that gold had been found
long before the discovery by Marshall and there is no doubt that the
opinion existed that gold was to be found in California. The country
had been explored by Spanish, Russian and American parties since
the sixteenth century and was visited by Commodore Wilkes while
on an exploring expedition in the service of the United States. Mem-
bers of his i)arty ascended the Sacramento river and visited Sutter at
his fort, while others made explorations by land. James D. Dana, the
author of several well-known works on geology and mineralogy, was
the mineralogist of the expedition and journeyed by land through the
up])er part of the state. He says in one of his works that gold rock
and veins of quartz were observed by him in 1842 near the Umpqua
river, in southern Oregon; also, that he found gold in the Sierra Ne-
vadas and on the Sacramento river, also on the San Joaquin river and

38 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

between these rivers. In the report of the Fremont exploring expe-
dition also, there is an intimation of the existence of gold. A state-
ment has been made also that a Mexican was shot at Yerba Buena
(now San Francisco) in October or November, 1845, on account of
having a bag of gold dust, and that when dying he pointed toward the
north and said, "Legos! Legos!" (yonder), indicating where lie had
found it.

Coming nearer home, into our own county, we find a claim that is
backed by strong probability that the Mormons who came to San
Francisco on the ship Brooklyn, and settled at Mormon Island, found
gold before Marshall did. It was a series of circumstances that
l)rought them to this coast. Persecuted in the east, where Joseph
Smith, their founder, claimed to have found the plates that he trans-
lated into the "Book of Mormon," generally spoken of as the Mormon
bible, his followers had settled at Nauvoo, 111., where they believed
they would be free from further persecution. But the people wlio had
settled around them became antagonistic to them and in the riots that
occurred. Smith was shot and killed bj^ a mob. They then determined
to remove beyond tlie jurisdiction of the United States and selected
California as their future place of abode. They divided into two
parts, the land expedition starting to cross the Rocky mountains, while
the other party came around the Horn on the ship Brooklyn. Among
the believers in their faith was Samuel Brannan, one of their leading
men, who afterwards became prominent in the early history of Sac-
ramento and San Francisco. When the Brooklyn arrived, the
Mormons found that their hopes were frustrated, California having
passed into the possession of the United States. Couriers were
sent over land to meet the other party, and found them at the place
where Salt Lake City now is located. They determined to stay there,
although the country was sterile and unpromising. Those who came
on the Brooklyn scattered through the state, some of them settling
above Folsom at the place now known as Mormon Island. It is
claimed that they had found gold long before it was found at Coloma,
but had kept it a secret. Certain it is, that mining was carried on
by them a])out the time of Marshall's discovery, and that the diggings
at Mormon Island were very profitable.

On January 18, 1878, the Associated Pioneers of the tei-i'itorial
days of California gave a banquet in New York city, at whicli
Col. T. B. Thorpe, a veteran of the Mexican war who had been on
General Taylor's staff, was present. He stated that while he was
employed as a journalist in New Orleans several years before the
discovery of gold at Coloma, a Swede, evidently far gone into con-
sumption, called on him and stated that he was what was called in
Sweden a "King's Orphan;" that he had been educated at an institu-
tion maintained by the government, on condition that after he had
received his eduf^ation lie would travel in foreign countries, observe

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 39

and record what he had seen and transmit his records to the govern-
ment. He further stated that he had visited California and remained
several days at Sutter's Fort, enjoying Sutter's hospitality; that
while there he had closely examined the surrounding country and be-
came convinced that it was rich in gold. General Sutter was present
at that banquet and Colonel Thorpe asked him if he had any recollec-
tion of the Swedish visitor. General Sutter replied that he did recol-
lect the visit, which occurred about thirty-four years before, and
that he also remembered that the Swede spoke regarding the presence
of mineral wealth in the neighboring hills, "but," added the General,"
"I was too much occui^ied at the time with other concerns to devote
any time or attention to it. My crops were ripe, and it was imjiera-
tive that thej' should be gathered as soon as possible, but I do
recollect the scientific Swedish gentleman."

The report of the remarks at the banquet was published, and in
it is contained a copy of the manuscript to which Colonel Thoi'pe
referred, in which the "King's orphan" wrote: "The Calif ornias
are rich in minerals. Gold, silver, lead, oxide of iron, manganese
and copper ore are all met with throughout the country, the precious
metals being the most abundant."

Still another account of an early discovery of gold was pub-
lished in September, 1865, in the New Age, in San Francisco, the
official organ of the Odd Fellows. It purports to have been an article
written by the Paris correspondent of the London Star. He wrote
that while in Paris he visited a private museum, the owner of which
exhibited to him a gold nugget and stated that twenty-eight years
before a poor invalid had called on him, and taking out of his tattered
coat a block of quartz, asked him if he would purchase it, assuring
him that it was full of gold. He stated that the stranger said: "I
have come to you to apply to the government to give me a vessel
and a crew of a hundred men, and I will promise to return with a
cargo of gold." The proprietor of the museum thought the man
was mad, but gave him a napoleon as a matter of charity, retaining,
however, a piece of the quartz. Afterwards the quartz was analyzed
and was proved to contain pure gold. After a lapse of fifteen years
a letter and a parcel were left at his door. The parcel was heavy
and was wrapped in a handkerchief and the letter was worn and
almost illegible. He deciphered it and it proved to be the i)oor
invalid's dying statement, which the lodging-house keeper, where
he died after his interview with the proprietor of the museum, had
neglected to deliver. The package contained a block of quartz and
the letter read as follows: "You alone listened to me; you alone
stretched out a helping hand to me. Alas, it was too late! I am
dying. I bequeath my secret to you. The country from which I
brought this gold is called California."

All these statements being true, the credit for the practical dis-

iO HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

covery of gold belongs to Marshall. While it is true that a gold
mine in the lower part of the state was worked in 1841, and that gold
from that mine had been sent to Philadelphia for coinage as early
as July, 1843, the mine proved unprofitable and was abandoned.
The precise date of Marshall's discovery will probably never be set-
tled. He was working for General Sutter, in charge of a gang of
men erecting a sawmill at the present site of Colonia, Eldorado county.
The raceway was dug and the water turned in. As Marshall was
examining the race, his attention was attracted by a piece of shining-
stuff and he jucked it up and took it to the house, where it was
boiled in lye, and thought to be gold. He took it with other particles
down to Sutter, where it was submitted to crude tests and declared
to be gold. Afterward specimens were sent to Monterey and exhibited
to General Mason, the military governor, and W. T. Sherman, after-
wards one of the most famous generals of the Civil war. It was
liroved to be gold and the news went forth to the world that caused
immigration to pour into California from every clime.

James W. Marshall was l)orn in Hope township, Hunterdon
county, N. J., October 8, 1810. When he reached manhood he removed
to Indiana and afterward to Illinois and Missouri. He arrived in
California in 1844 and came to Sutter's Port in 1845 and was em-
]iloyed by Captain Sutter. He took an active part in the revolution
of 1846. In consideration of his discovery of gold the legislature
allowed him a pension for some years before his death. He settled
on a small piece of land at Coloma, near where he discovered the gold,
and partly sui^ported himself by farming. On the 10th of August.
1885, he was found dead in his cabin and was buried near the spot
where gold was first found bj' him. Marshall never married. After
his death the state erected a fine monument to him, a statue in the
early miner's garb, with his finger iiointing to the jilace wliere the
old millrace stood in which his discovery was made. The late John H.
Miller, for many years a well known journalist of this city, was
appointed the first guardian of the monument, which office he held
for a number of years.

The discovery of gold gave a great impetus to the growth of
Sacramento City when the influx of gold-seekers commenced, making
it the point of departure for the mines as well as the depot for
su])plies. A part of the latter business it lost when the Folsom and
Placerville Railroad was built, but its progress was only delayed, as
it still continued to be the supply point for distribution to a vast
territory, including a large portion of Nevada. Seldom now are the
jingling bells of the mule team heard on its streets and the "prairie
schooner" laden with freight has become a very rare sight on its
streets. Folsom being on the American river and having proved to
be surrounded by rich placers, grew quickly to an important town,
polling at one time in the early days over two thousand votes. Of

NEW COURT HOUSE

NI«;\V CITY HAI.L

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO (H)UNTY 41

late years the gold dredge has taken the place of hydraulic mining,
since the latter was i)rohibited, and large areas of the rich lands along
the American river liave been turned into unsightly i)iles of cobble
stones, and the gold extracted from it. Even the great Natoma
vineyard, at one time the largest in the world, has been invaded by
the machines and is being rapidly destroyed and left desolate, and
practically wiped off the assessor's map. The viUage of Dredge has
grown up, the home of the company's employes, and tlie cobble |)iles
are of late being crushed for road material.

There are other accounts of gold discovery. Joseph Aram of
New York, and Sarah A. Aram of Vermont, his wife, were mem-
bers of a party of immigrants to California which, in SeiJtember,
1846, pitched their camp near the mouth of a little stream emptying
into the south fork of the Yul)a river where it was crossed by the
old overland trail, near where the boundary line between Placer and
Nevada comities has been established. It is related that Mrs. Aram
desired to wash some articles of ai)parel and in scooping out an
improvised washtub in the bed of the brook noticed several little
yellow pieces in the fine gravel. They were examined by the members
of the i)arty and pronounced to be gold. On the same day, however,
news of the declaration of war against Mexico by the United States
reached the party, and they made all possil)le haste in pushing on
to gain the shelter of vSutter's Fort instead of sto])])ing to make any
further investigation of their discovery. In the sununer of 1848,
after Marshall's discovery had been published, Mr. Aram returned
to his old camping ground only to find the ground already occujjied
by miners. Mr. Aram was a member of the first constitutional
convention, 1849, and a member of the assembly at the first session
of the legislature. He died at San Jose, March 80, 1898. His son,
Eugene Aram, born at Monterey, January 14, 1848, it is claimed
was the first white child born in California of American parents,
and was a state senator from Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties during
the thirty-first and thirty-third legislative sessions. For some years
he has been a practicing attorney in this city.

CHAPTER VII
CITY AND COUNTY ELECTIONS

The first election under the city charter and in tlie county was
held April 1, 1850, there being three tickets in the field. Canvassing
had been going on for several weeks, both in the city and through the
county, and an immense numlier of tickets and handl)ills had been
circulated. The polls remained open until late in the evening; there
were lively times around the ballot boxes and plenty of whiskey
was drunk, but there was no rioting.

The whole number of votes polled for Mayor was two thousand

42 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

four liundred and uiuety-tliree, and Hardin Bigiow, the people's
candidate, had a majority over all the others of three hundred and
twenty-three. Following is a list of the city and county officers
elected, with the number of votes received by each :

Mayor, Hardin Bigiow, 1521; city recorder, B. F. AVashington,
885; city marshal, N. C. Cunningham, 1323; city attorney, J. Neely
Johnson, 1697; city assessor, J. W. Woodland, 792; city treasurer,
Barton Lee, 2310; Councilmen: C. A. Tweed, 1629; V. Spalding, 1621;
Demas Strong, 1420; T. McDowell, 1462; J. McKinzie, 1182; C. H.
Miller, 887; J. R. Hardenbergh, 862; Jesse Moore, 869; A. P. Petit, 804;
county treasurer, William Glaskin, 1104; district attorney, William C.
Wallace, 2011; county attorney, J. H. McKune, 2021; county judge,
E. J. Willis, 1818; county clerk, Presley Dunlap, 1567; county recorder,
L. A. Birdsall, 714; county sheritf, J. H. McKinney, 619; county sur-
veyor, J. G. Cleal, 1152; county assessor, D. W. Thorp, 1224; county
coroner, P. F. Ewer; 569 ; clerk supreme court, E. H. Thorp, 1313.

On the morning of April 4th, a meeting of the council-elect was
held at the courthouse and on motion of Jesse Moore, C. A. Tweed
was called to the chair, as president pro tern. On motion of Volney
Spalding, Charles H. Miller was requested to act as secretary pro
tem. The council proceeded to the election of a president and
Demas Strong was declared elected. A committee was also appointed
to wait upon the mayor-elect, Hon. Hardin Bigiow, and inform him
that the council was duly organized and ready to receive any com-
munication he might desire to make. He appeared before the council
and delivered a short and pertinent address, and the council adjourned.
It met the next morning pursuant to adjournment and a message from
the mayor was read, accepted and referred to the select committee.
The regular meetings of the board were ordered to be held on each
Tuesday evening at the courthouse.

Mayor Bigiow in his message urged the immediate raising of a
levee to protect the city from future inundations, suggesting the
building of a cheap railway track along the bank of the river, so
that material for the levee could be hauled from a distance and the
natural bank of the river be left undisturbed; that an election be
called to vote the necessary amount as estimated by the city engineer
for the levee; that the three small lakes be included in the limits
of the city and the whole of the present corporation be included within
the levee, and levee regulations be adopted, similar to those at New
Orleans. Other recommendations were relative to the storing of
powder, establishment of fire companies, a city hospital, a city prison
and provision for the removal of garbage. Also that every aid pos-
sible be given to public schools.

The election of Mayor Bigiow is attributed by Dr. Morse in
his interesting historical article published in Colville's Directory
in 1853-4, to his foresight and energy in saving the city from a second

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 4:]

flood in March, 1850. Fears had been expressed that the city mift'lit
he again inundated, hut there seemed to be an aversion to raising
a levee for j^rotection and the idea was unpopular. Says Mr. Morse:
"In the month of Marcli following, heavy rains occurred, which with
the action of the sun upon the snowy summits, caused another flood.
The rivers rose with great rapidity, the sloughs filled up to over-
flowing, and the city must have been nearly as severely flooded as in
January, but for the masterly and herculean efforts of one Hardin
Biglow. This man had declared from the first the practicability of
defending the city by a levee. Having thus committed himself to
the proposition, he was determined to demonstrate his theory in this
second flood. With the moiety of means and handful of men, he
commenced damming up the intruding waters at every low point,
and finally extended his temporary levee almost to its present limits.
Night and day he was in his saddle, going from one point to another,
and stimulating his men to an almost superhuman action. For a few
days this man met tide and torrent, mud and darkness, and croaking
discouragement that few men in the world would have endured, and
to the utter astonishment of all, he saved the town from a severe
inundation. J, Front, Second, I and a portion of K streets, he kept
open for the uninterrupted transaction of business. As a natural
consequence everybody praised him, and on the first Monday of
April succeeding, at an election pursuant to the new legislative charter,
aciopted February 27, 1850, he was elected by a most cordial vote
as the chief magistrate of this city.

In a few weeks after the abatement of the waters of the second
inundation everything seemed almost transformed into business and
money making. The council busied itself with the subject of a levee
and surveys were made, the tents gave way to large and commodious
buildings, built of good material and embellished with ornamental
architecture. Business began to be reduced to a system, and developed
some of the most substantial mercantile houses and manufacturing
firms and some of the strongest banking houses in the country.
Disease abated and everything pointed to prosperity.

The assessor's report on the value of property — real and per-
sonal— gave an aggregate of $7,968,985 that summer, an important
feature in the light of the pecuniary revulsion that followed. The
real estate of the city was assessed at $5,586,000, probably $5,000,000
over its real value. Hence, following the financial reaction in the
fall of 1850, some of the shrewdest men in the city found themselves
embarrassed by immense losses on loans on real estate, which on
foreclosure often brought not more than one-fourth to one-eighth
of the loans. The three heaviest banks and many of the prominent
merchants were swept suddenly into bankruptcy in the fall and a
general prostration of business was the result. The city had survived
the struggle with Sutterville, the distress and poverty of immigration

44 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

in 1849, the floods of 1850 and now, in the midst of tliis financial
storm, a new cahimity befell her — the Squatter I'iot of August 15,
1850.

February 27, 1850, the first legislature passed an act to incor-
porate Sacramento City, and defined its boundaries as follows:

"All that tract of land lying within the following boundaries:
Beginning at the junction of the American Fork and the Sacramento
river to Y street, as designated on the map or plan of Sacramento
City on file in the recorder's office in said city; thence along said Y
street east to the point where said Y' street intersects Thirty-first
street as designated on said map; thence along the said Thirty-first
street till the same intersects the American Fork; thence along the
American Fork to the place of beginning, the said boundaries extend-
ing to the middle of Sacramento river and American Fork."

The act further provided that there should be a mayor, a recorder,
and a council of nine members for the government of the city, and
that one of the members of the council should be elected president.
It provided further that on the thirtieth day after the passage of the
act a city election should be held for the election of the first officers,
to wit: A mayor, recorder, nine councilmen, city marshal, city
attorney, assessor and treasurer. After the first election the officers
mentioned were to be elected on the first Monday in May in each
year, and in case of a vacancy a special election should be ordered
by the council to fill the same. The mayor was clothed with com])lete
executive power. The recorder performed the duties now imposed on
the police .iudge, and the marshal those belonging now to the chief
of police and the collector. The common council was empowered to
create the offices of city collector, harbor-master, and such other
offices as might become necessary.

An amendatory act was passed by the same legislature. March
13, 1850, providing that, on the first Monday of Ajnil following, a
city election should be held to fill the offices created by the charter,
making it fall on the same day as the first county election. The
officers chosen at that election were to hold office till the first Monday
of May, 1851. This amendment affected the first election only.
A]iril 10, 1850, an act was passed providing for the a])pointment by
the goveinor of a i)ort warden for the port of Sacramento.

The second legislature passed a new cliarter for Sacramento
City, and it became a law March 26,. 1851, by operation of time, and
without the ai)])roval of the governor. Governor McDougal said con-
cerning it: "The within bill is regarded as oppressive and extraor-
dinary in many of its features, but not regarding it as infringing
on any i)arti(ular ])rinciple of the constitution, and as it is the act
of the rei)resentatives of Sacramento county, and presuming it to be
the wish of the i)eo])le of Sacramento City, I permit it to become a

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 45

law, by the operation of time, without ai)proving it, or returning- it
to the body in which it originated. ' '

The act in question provided that the then existing government
should continue in office until the election of the officers provided
for l)y the new charter. The council was to divide the city into three
wards, from each of which three councilmen were to be elected.
Vacancies were to be filled by special election, unless one should
occur within sixty days of a regular annual election, when it was to
be filled by the council. The first election under the act was to take
place on the first Monday of May following, for officers to hold office
until the first Monday of April, 1852. All city elections after that
were to be held on the first Monday of April in each year. The
fixing of salaries was left to the council, but they were not permitted
to fix the salary of any officer at over $3,000, excejit the mayor or
recorder, the limit of wliose salary was fixed at $5,000.

The legislature enacted a law April 26, 1853, i^roviding for a
special tax of one-fourth of one per cent., for the support of the free
common schools, to be expended under the direction of a board of
trustees, consisting of one from each waixl, to be annually appointed
by the council.

March 31, 1855, a law was enacted striking the harbor-master
from the list of the elective officers. It fixed the salaries as follows:
Mayor, $2,000 ; recorder, $4,000 ; marshal, $3,000 ; deputy city marshal,
$1,500; city attorney, $2,000; treasurer, $1,500; superintendent of the
water works, $2,000; assessor, $1,500; recorder's clerk, $1,500; each
lioliceman, $125 per month. In case of death, sickness or leave of
absence of the recorder, the mayor was to attend to the duties of
that office also. It was further provided that at the next sul)sequent
election there should be chosen a superintendent of common schools
and two school commissioners from each ward, who, with the super-
intendent of schools, should constitute the school board.

A}>ril 2, 1856, the legislature enacted an act to regulate the
fire department. It ])rovided for the election of officers and the
reuulation of the de]>artment in general.

CONSOLIDATION

On Ai)ril 24, 1858, a law was passed which cousoliilated the
government of the city and county and gave to the board of super-
visors the authority which had heretofore rested in the county council.
On the first Monday of May following, five supervisors were to be
elected, to hold office until October 5, 1858. There was also to be
elected at the same time a president of the board, to continue in
office until the general election of 1859, the term of office thereafter
to be two years. After the first Monday of October, 1858, the board
was to consist of a ])resident and eight members, and the members

46 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

were to be elected at the general election in that year, four to hold
office for two years, and four for one year. After the first election
the term was to be two years. At the general election in 1859, and
every two years thereafter, there were to be elected the other officers,
who were to laerform their duties for both city and county. The
president of the board was to be ex-officio mayor of the city, and
superintendent of the streets and the water-works. The then county
officers were required to perform such city duties as might be allotted
to them by the board, and the board was given jjower to create and
fill b.y appointment the minor city offices. Some clianges were also
made in the fire and school departments.

The consolidation act was repealed April 23, 1863, and a new
charter adopted. It provided that the government of the city should
be vested in a board of trustees, to consist of three. The first trustee
was to be ex-officio mayor; the second, street commissioner, and the
third, superintendent of the water-works. There would also be an
auditor, an assessor, a collector, a police judge, and such other officers
as might be appointed by the board. The trustees' term of office
was fixed at three years, and that of the other officers at two. It
was further provided that on the tenth day after the passage of
the act a city election should l)e held, at which the offices above desig-
nated should be filled, and that annually thereafter, on the second
Tuesday in March, city elections should be held. At the election in
1864, a third trustee should be elected; in 1865, a second trustee,
assessor, auditor, collector, and judge, and in 1866, a first trustee,
each to hold for the time indicated. Any vacancy in the board was
to be filled by a special election, and a vacancy in any other office was
to be filled by appointment by board. Provision was also made for
the school and fire departments.

A slight change was made in the boundaries of the city, and a
change in the time of electing officers other than members of the board
during the life of this charter. In 1872 a bill was enacted creating
a paid fire department, another to i^rovide a new svstem of water-
works, and a third for the reorganization of the police force.

As has been stated elsewhere, Hardin Biglow was elected the
first mayor of Sacramento. He was badly wounded in the Squatter
riot, and before he had recovered, was seized with cholera and
died in San Francisco, November 27, 1850, at the age of forty-one.
Born in Michigan, he was a man of great courage and fine executive
ability. After his death the president of the council acted as mayor.

A special election was held December 14, 1850, for the purpose
of choosing a mayor. Although there was no excitement in the
morning, later it became intense, in spite of a heavy rainfall. Bands
of music paraded and both parties struggled hard to elect their
candidates. Horace Smith (Whig) was elected by a vote of 933.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 47

Other votes were: J. R. Hardenbergh (Democrat), 865; James Mc-
Clatchy, 183; Wesley Merritt, 25; and Joseph Grant, 19. The last
three were independents. May 5, 1851, J. R. Hardenbergh (Democrat)
secured 1264 votes for mayor, against 1224 for Joseph H. Nevett
(Whig). A- great conflagration in San Francisco on the day of
election destroyed $7,000,000 worth of property, and the reception
of the news rather dampened the ardor of the voters.

April 5, 1852, C. I. Hutchinson (Whig) defeated Hardenbergh,
his vote being 1450 to 12.34. It was a particularly exciting election,
mass meetings being held at different points in the city, and it was a
campaign of mud-throwing.

Hardenbergh turned the tables, however, April 4, 1853, defeating
W. H. McGrew, his Whig opponent, by a vote of 2046 to 1382. Dr.
Volney Spalding had been nominated by the Whig convention March
28, but he declined, and on the 30th McGrew received the nomination.

April 3, 1854, R. P. Johnson (Whig) was elected by a vote of 1798
to 1693 over his opponent. Col. John P. Hall (Dem.).

Ajaril 2, 1855, James L. English (American) defeated Hiram
Arents (Anti-American) by a vote of 1523 to 504, R. P. Johnson
(Whig) getting 78 votes. The latter had published a card of with-
drawal a few days before the election.

April 7, 1856, B. B. Redding (Dem.) was elected mayor over
L. B. Harris (American) by a vote of 1743 to 1654.

April 6, 1857, J. P. Dyer (Dem.) defeated Dr. R. B. Ellis
(People's Independent) by a vote of 1955 to 788. George Rowland
(Rep.) received 501 votes. Dyer lield office until under the consoli-
dation act he was succeeded by tlie president of the board of
supervisors.

May 3, 1858, Dr. H. L. Nichols (People's Independent) was
elected president of the board of supervisors, defeating J. L. Craig
(Dem.) by 3584 to 1877.

September 7, 1859, William Shattuck (Lecompton Dem.) was
elected president by a vote of 3233 to 2802, over B. B. Redding (Dem.),
and 5 for George Rowland (Rep.).

September 4, 1861, Shattuck was re-elected on the Douglas Dem-
ocratic and Settlers' ticket over C. H. Grinnn (Republican) by a vote
of 3633 to 3258, E. P. Figg (Breckenridge Dem.) getting 14 votes.

After the repeal of the Consolidation Act mayors were elected
under the charter adopted at that time, as follows:

May 5, 1863, Charles H. Swift (Union) over William Shattuck
(Dem.) by a vote of 1640 to 742.

March 13, 1866, Charles H. Swift (Union) over William P. Knox
(Dem.) 1321 to 915.

March 9, 1869, Charles F. Swift (Rep.) by a vote of 1232 to 749

48 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

over Archibald Henley (Ind.) and 71 for P. H. Russell, (Dem.). The
latter withdrew on the morning of election in favor of Henley.

March 12, 1872, Christopher Green (Rep.) over John Q. Brown
(Dem.) by a vote of 1629 to 1245.

March 9, 1875, Christopher Green over John Q. Brown ( Dem. and
Ind.) by a vote of 1815 to 1271.

March 12, 1878, Jabez Turner ( Workingnian) by a vote of 1203
to 1063 for James I. Felter (Rep.), 1056 for Hugh M. La Rue (Dem.)
and 726 for Ezra Pearson ( Workingman).

March 8, 1881, John Q. Brown (Dem.) over Cliristopher Green
(Rep.) by a vote of 1925 to 170*.

March 11, 1884, John Q. Brown over Joseph Steffens (Rep.) by
a vote of 1912 to 1875. Dr. A. B. Nixon (Prohiliition) received 344
votes.

March 8, 1887, Eugene J. Gregory (Rep.) over John <,). Brown
(Dem.) l)y a vote of 3202 to 1283, and 39 for F. H. L. Welier (Pro-
liibition).

March 17, 1890, W. D. Comstock (Dem.) over P^ugene J. Gregory,
(Rep.) by a vote of 2415 to 2374. March 14, 1893, B. U. Steinman
(Rep.) over John Weil (Citizens and Dem.) by a vote of 2505 to
2328, and 279 for C. M. Harrison (Rep., Dem. and People's).

The new charter went into effect in 1893 and on the 7th of Novem-
ber of that year B. U. Steinman (Reorganized Dem.) defeated W. F.
Knox (Rep!, Dem. and Citizens') by a vote of 3203 to 2052, with
Dittmar (People's) 250.

November 5, 1895, the vote was: C. H. Hubltard (Citizens') 2526;
J. W. Wi)son (Reji.) 2280; B. U. Steinman, (Ind.) 1487; and W. D.
Lawton (Dem.) 209.

November 2, 1897, William Land (Rep.) 3190; C. H. Hubbard
(Citizens') 2106; R. D. Stephens, (Ind.) 801; C. E. Leonard, (Dem.)
145.

November 7, 1899, George II. Clark (Rep.), 4012; R. D. Stephens,
(Dem.) 219.3.

November 5, 1901, George H. Clark (Ind.) 3018; William Land
(Rep.) 1755; J. H. Devine, (Dem.) 879; Llewellyn Tozer (Ind.) 315;
Mr. Alderman (Soc.) 181.

November 3, 1903, W. J. Hassett (Dem.) 3076; Albert Elkus
(Rep.) 2522; W. J. McDowell (Soc.) 263; D. J. Simmons (Ind.) 14.

November 7, 1905. M. R. Beard (Dem.) 24.35; Albert Elkus
(Re]).) 2200; Henry E. Wright, (Soc.) 781; E. I. Woodman (Ind.)
145.

November 5, 1907, Clinton L. White (Rep.) 2835; M. R. Beard
(Dem.) 2702.

November 2, 1909, M. R. Beard (Dem.) 3522; John E. Sullivan
(Rep.) 2965; H. E. Wright (Soc.) 163.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 49

November 7, 1911, M. R. Beard (Dem.) :!9(i(i; Allen W. Stuart
(Soc.) 2649; Frank P.. Sutliff (Rep.) 2367.

In 1911 the new charter was adopted for a commission for city
government with five commissioners, as follows: M. J. Burke, five
years; J. A. Filcher, four years; C. A. Bliss, three years; Dr. E. M.
Wilder, two years; and Mrs. LueUa B. Johnston, one year.

CHAPTER VIII

THE SQUATTER RIOT

Many of the immigrants arriving in 1849 were imbued with the
idea that Sutter possessed no valid title to the land where the city
stands, as his title was founded on the grant by Governor Alvarado,
and the United States had subsequently conquered and taken posses-
sion of the state. They considered the ground public land and subject
to settlement. Moreover, tliey claimed the boimdaries of Sutter's
grant, as defined, did not cover the site of the city, but ended some
distance above it. Also that it could not embrace the site of the city,
as by its stipulations it should not be subject to annual inundations,
and that by improving Hock Farm he had overstei)]>ed the boundaries
of his possession under the grant either to the north or the south;
his engineer's lines, when correctly drawn, placed his southern liouud-
ary considerably above the city. These claims were not accorded
nnich attention by those who had jturchased from Sutter.

But when the immigi'ants across the plains arrived a few months
later, things took on a different a])pearance. Weary with the long
journey, and many of them without money or homes, the idea that they
could own the land by simply taking possession of it was an alluring-
one and the ranks of the "Sciuatters", as they were called, increased
rapidly. Lots were staked off in various parts of the city and those
taking ])ossession boldly declared the squatter title was sujierior to
that from Sutter.

An association was formed, and the first meeting was called by
John H. Keyser, and held at the house of a man named Kelley. on
Front street, above J. A number of meetings were held there ])rior
to the flood of the ensuing winter. At first the members of the
association were mostly ignorant and uneducated men, but later men
of tact and talent succeeded them and their addresses began to be
viewed with anxiety by those holding Sutter titles. Their speeches
were incendiary and in May a talented engineer. Col. John Plumbe,
joined them and became their surveyor and recorder. After the floods
of January and March, their organization was made more thorough
and a feeling of hostility grew up between them and the holders of
Sutter titles. The members of the association began to demonstrate

50 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

their views by taking possession of lots in various parts of the city.
Contests ensued and removals were made from time to time.

May 10, 1850, John P. Rodgers and Dewitt J. Burnett began
action in the Recorders Court against James J. Madden, B. F. Wash-
ington presiding. The lot settled upon and claimed by Madden was
on the Southeast corner of Second and N streets. The defendant
claimed that the land was owned by the United States, and therefore
subject to a title by settlement and improvement. The case was
argued and the recorder decided against defendant, finiug him $300
and costs, and ordering restitution.

The defendant appealed to the county court, but Judge Willis
sustained the lower court. The defendant asked to appeal to the
supreme court, but there being no law then to sustain the appeal, the
motion was denied. Both parties grew excited during the trial, and
the Squatters as a body declared against the restitution of the
property pursuant to the judgment of the courts. After the decision
the Squatters issued a poster, claiming that the laws passed by the
Legislature were not recognized by congress and not binding and
that the settlers would resist and disregard all decisions of the courts
in land cases and also all summonses or execution by the sheriff or
other officers, and resolved to appeal to arms on the first show of
violence to their persons or ]iroperty by the sheriff. The card caused
great excitement and inany who had hitherto passively approved of
the Squatters enlisted against them. On August 11, the Squatters
held, a meeting on the levee and the proceedings were reported in the
Transcript the next morning. Dr. Robinson was the chairman
and the meeting was much excited, both sides of the controversy be-
ing heatedly debated. J. H. McKune, who afterward became promi-
nent in county affairs, James McClatchy, afterward editor and pro-
prietor of the Bee, and others spoke in defense of the Squatters'
action, while Samuel Braunan and Col. E. J. C. Kewen defended the
Sutter titles. Captain Sutter claimed the land within the city limits
by virtue of his grant from the Mexican Grovernment, and through
the guarantee of the treaty between the United States and Mexico.
His claim was sustained by the settlement at Sutter's Fort, by im-
provements made, by occasional occupation and use made of the site
of the ctiy and by a map of the survey made for him by an engineer
whom he supposed to be a competent one, locating him on the land.

As the meeting progressed, Dr. Robinson in a speech defending
the Squatters' resolutions, said that, as for him, he meant at all
hazards to defend the pro]ierty he had settled upon.

Madden retained the possession of the ]n-operty in litigation for
some time, by the defense of the members of the association, and the
house itself became a sort of garrison, containing a A'ariety of weapons.
In his endeavors to execute the writ of restitution, the sheriff dis-

HISTORY OF SACKAMENTO COUNTY 51

covered a number of persons, whom be knew, among the party who
were resisting his authority. He reported the names of James Mc
Clatchy, Charles Robinson and others to the court and warrants for
their arrest were issued by Justice Sackett. McClatchy delivered
himself up and was confined in jail during the subsequent conflicts.
Madden was finally ousted from the house, but recovered possession
on August 14.

The Times of August 15th gives an account of the fatal riot on
the preceding day as follows:

"At two o'clocli a body of Scpiatters numbering about forty
proceeded to the foot of I street, on the levee, and undertook to re-
gain possession of a piece of ground which had lately been in the
occupation of one of their party. They were fully armed and a
general understanding prevailed that their object included the liber-
ation of the two men committed the day before to the prison ship,
upon the charge of being concerned in a riotous assemblage on the
morning of the 12th, for the purpose of forcibly resisting the process
of law. After the displacement of some of the hunber on the ground
the i)arty of Squatters were deterred from proceeding further in their
intent. The mayor had meantime requested all good citizens to aid in
suppressing the threatened riot, and very large numbers had gathered
about the spot — several citizens also, armed, proceeded to the prison
ship, but no demonstration was made in that direction.

"The Squatters retreated in martial order, and passed up I street
to Third, thence to J and up to Fourth, followed by a crowd of pei'-
sons. Tliey were here met by the mayor, who ordered them to de-
liver up their arms and disperse. This they refused to do, and
several shots were fired at him, four of which took effect. He fell
from his horse, and was carried to his residence dangerously, if not
mortally, wounded. J. W. Woodland, who, unarmed, stood near the
mayor at the time, received a shot in the groin, which he survived
but a few minutes. A man named Jesse Morgan, said to be from
Millerville, Ohio, lately arrived, and who was seen to aim at the
mayor, next fell dead, from the effects of a ball which passed through
his neck. James Har]ier was very severely, but not dangerously,
wounded, in supporting the sheriff. It is difficult to give an exact
detail of the terrible incidents which followed in such rapid succession.
It appeared from an examination before the coroner, that the party
of Squatters drew up in regular order, on arriving at the corner of
Fourth street, and that the sheriff was several times fired on before
he displayed any weapons. Testimony was also given as to the person
who was seen to fire upon Mr. Woodland. The mounted leader of
the Squatters, an Irishman by the name of Maloney, had his horse
shot imder him; he endeavored to escape, but was pursued a short
distance up the alley and shot through the head, falling dead. Dr.

52 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Robin.sou, one of the armed party imder his t'Oiumand, was wounded
in the lower part of the body. Mr. Hale, of the firm of Crowell Hale
& Co., was slightly wounded in the leg. A young boy, son of Mr.
Rogers, was also wounded. We have heard of several others, but
aie not assured of the correctness of the reports. Upon the oath of
several gentlemen, that they saw Dr. Robinson deliberately aim at
the mayor, he was arrested and placed in confinement. An Irishman
named Caulfield, accused of a siniihr-' act with regard to both the
mayor and Mr. Woodland, was arrested late in the afternoon.

"After these terrible scenes, which occupied less time than we
have emi)loyed to describe them, had jiassed, a meeting of the
cDuncil was held, the ])roceedings of which appear in another column.
The citizens gathered at the corner of Second and J streets and
other jilaces throughout the city, and proceeded to organize parties
to prevent further outrage. A body of mounted men under command
of the sheriff, hearing the rei)ort that the Squatters were reinforcing
at the Fort, i)roceeded thither. The lawless mob were nowhere to be
found; scouts were dispatched in all directions, but no trace of them
could be discovered. Meanwhile several other parties had formed in
rank and proceeded to different parts of the city, establishing
rendezvoux at different points. Brigadier-General Winn issued a
l)roc]amation declaring the city under martial law, and ordering all
law abiding citizens to form themselves into volunteer companies and
report their organization to headquarters as soon as possible. At
evening (|uiet was fully restored throughout the city. Lieutenant
(iovernor ]\IcDougal, who left on the Senator, and exi)ects to meet
the (Jold Hunter, will bring up tliis morning a detachment of troops
from Benieia. An. extraordinary i)olice force of five-hundred was
sumr.ioned for duty during the night."

The minutes of the council show that B. F. Washington was
a])))ointed marshal and Capt. J. Sherwood assistant, to whom all
])ersons desiring' to make arrests were requested to aii])ly for aid
and authority.

A letter in Dr. Roljinson's handwriting was found in his tent
after the riot, detailing wliat he had done and the ])lans of the
Squatters for resisting the law.

The next day brought other developments tliat saddened the
conmmnity and were detailed in the Times of the 16th. Sheriff Jose]ih
Mc Kinney was shot down it was said by a man named Allen, who kejit
a hotel at Brighton. Mc Kinney had gone out with a ])arty of alwut
twenty to arrest some parties said to have been concerned in the riots.
Mr. McDowell, of Mormon Island, who was well known at the house,
was sent to make observations and report, but the Sheriff did not
wait for him to return. He rode up to the door and demanded that
Alien and the others should surrender. Imt thev refused and several

I

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 53

shots were fired immediately, mortally wounding McKinney. Several
of the sheriff's party entered the house, where about a dozen
Squatters were and killed three of them. Allen, though wounded,
escaped, and a number of prisoners were taken to the city.

When Governor Burnett heard of the trouble, he telegraphed to
Brig.-Gen. A. M. Winn to proceed to Sacramento with his whole
force and aid the authorities to maintain order. On the 17th two
military companies, composing the Second Brigade, arrived on the
Senator and General Winn offered their services to the mayor and
council, but was informed that the citizens ' orgauization under Wash-
ington was thought to be able to sustain the law. The reports that
the Squatters had enlisted the aid of the miners in the hills, who were
coming to Sacramento to aid them, were found to be false, and quiet
was soon restored. The funerals of Captain Woodland and Sheriff
McKinney were attended by almost the whole city and such was the
spirit shown, by the citizens that Squatterism never reared its head
again, although disputes over land titles continued for many years,
making costly and annoying litigation for a long time.

As Mayor Biglow was severely, and possibly fatally, wounded
Demas Strong became the acting mayor for the remainder of his
term. B. F. Washington was appointed marshal. The death of
Woodland, who was city assessor, was due to his kindness of heart
He was walking up the street with a friend and when near the corner
of Fourth and J, the Squatters ranged themselves diagonally across
Fourth and J streets, with their guns presented toward the mayor
and his party, who were approaching. Woodland saw their threaten-
ing attitude and exclaimed to his friend, "Oh! it is too bad for thes
men to take sucli a stand, for they will certainly be shot down. I will
go u]i and advise them." lie went forward a few steps to attempt to
mediate, when a liall struck him and killed him almost instantly.

Ben McCulloch succeeded McKinney as sheriff and afterwards
became quite a noted man in the history of the nation. He was born
in Tennessee in 1814 and always evinced an inclination for a roving
and adventurous life. He went with Davy Crockett to Texas, to take
part in the revolution that freed that state from Mexican rule. In
18.36 he joined the Texan army under Gen. Sam Houston and was
assigned to the artillery service. He served with credit at the battle
of San Jacinto and was employed afterwards on the frontier, in sur-
veying and locating lands in Texas. On the breaking out of the
Mexican war he raised a company of Texan Rangers that became
famous during that struggle. It was accepted by General Taylor and
took a prominent part in the battles of Monterey and Buena Vista
and assisted in the capture of the city of Mexico. After the war was
over President Pierce appointed McCulloch United States marshal
of Texas and the present efficient force of Rangers in that state is

54 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

the outcome of his orgauization. The Rangers of to-day are picked
men, noted for their iron nerve, and are the terror of evil doers,
penetrating where tlie other officers of the hiw cannot or dare not go
to capture criminals.

In 1857 McCuUoch was appointed, with ex-Governor Powell,
a commissioner to Utah. It was believed that at the time of the
inauguration of President Lincoln he was in Washington for the
puri)ose of taking possession of the city at the head of a band of
secessionists. If so, the plan was abandoned, on account of the
l>recautions taken by General Scott. Later on, he was commissioned
l)rigadier-general in the Confederate army and assigned to the
command of the forces in Arkansas. He issued a proclamation in
June, 1861, to the people of that state, calling on them to assemble at
Payetteville to defend the state from invasion. He was in command
at the battle of Wilson's Creek, where General Lyon was killed, and
it is stated that he surrendered the command to General Sterling
Price, on account of some misunderstanding with him. He led a
corps of troops from Louisiana and Texas at the battle of Pea Ridge,
and fell on the second day of the engagement, March 7, 1862.

Henry A. Caulfield, who was arrested and charged with firing on
the mayor and Woodland during the riot, led a stormy career in this city
afterward. He was a man of violent temper and often became involved
in trouble. Born in Ireland, he came to the United States and in 1844
was a member of the Emmet Guards at Albany, N. Y. During the anti-
rent troubles in that state, his company was ordered to Columbia
county to assist the authorities in repressing the disorder, the anti-
renters having killed an under-sheriff, tarred and feathered other offi-
cers and committed other outrages. He came to Sacramento in 1849
worked as a carpenter and joiner and became active in Democratic poli-
tics. He was arrested by John Cleal between here and Brighton as he
was fleeing after the riot, and brought to this city stra])ped to a horse's
back and confined on board the prison brig. With a number of others
he was indicted by the next grand jury on a charge of conspiracy and
murder. They were never punished, as Governor McDougal had de-
clared he would ])ardon them if they were convicted, and a nolle prose-
qui was subsequently entered in their case. He was afterwards active
in the squatter troubles that followed. He settled on a farm on the
mound north of the American river about 1851 and lived there till the
flood of 1852, when he sold the place to Patrick Bannon, and removed
to a ranch south of the R street levee, out of which arose most of the
sulisequent troubles.

George Wilson was a justice of the peace and associate justice of
the court of sessions and had made some remark that gave offense to
one of the attorneys. June 19, 1851, the attorney came to the court
room and demanded a retraction. Wilson refused and when the attor-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 55

ney struck at him drew a sword cane and stabbed him. Caulfiekl was
entering the room and fired se%'eral shots at Wilson, Init did not hit
him. Wilson seized Caulfield round the neck and was about to send a
Imllet through his head when R. P. J acobs, a policeman, rushed in and
saved Caulfield 's life. At another time Caulfield was shot several
times by Thomas 0. Shelby over land matters and several of the bul-
lets he carried to his grave. On that occasion he was unarmed and
the assault was unprovoked. As it was thought he would die, a priest
called to see him. ' ' I am told you have been a very bad man, ' ' said he.
"It is a dom lie and you are no doctor. Get out of here," was the
reply.

At another time, in 185(i, he had a quarrel with a man named Mil-
ler about politics and some mules. It was at Miller's house and he at-
tempted to strike him with a flat iron, but Miller broke a cane over his
head and was about to throw him out of the window. Miller's wife
inter^'eued and Miller let go and Caulfield fell to the ground. Miller
sent word to the coroner that he had killed Caulfield, but when the
dead wagon arrived the supposed corpse had walked to the county hos-
]3ital. The same year he was stabbed by a man named Frank Nolan
on Front street, and wounded so severely that for several days he
breathed through the knife wounds in his back. August 15, 1878, he
had a dispute with William G. English, over a lot on R street, and shot
English, who died a couple of days later. For this murder he was sent
to the state's prison for six years. Caulfield was short and heavy set,
and had lost an eye in one of his encounters, giving him a truculent
appearance; he was much feared by many citizens on account of the
uglv scrapes in which he engaged, nearly killing some or being almost
killed himself. July 2, 1888, while walking on the R street track near
Fourth street, he was struck by the evening train from Folsom, evi-
dently not having heard the whistle, and was killed instantly.

Dr. Robinson, as will be seen elsewhere, became shortly afterwards
a member of the legislature and subsequently governor of Kansas.

CHAPTER IX
FIRST THINGS

The first mail brought to Sacramento came on the schooner John
Dunlap, owned jointly by Simmons, Hutchins & Co., and E. S. Marsh,
which left San Francisco on her first trip to Sacramento, May 18, 1849,
and brought the first mail on her second trip, June 27. having ))een
forty-eight hovirs on the way.

The first directory of Sacramento City was published in 1851, by
J. Horace Culver, and a copy of it is in the state lilirary. It was print-
ed by the Transcript press, and has ninety-six ]iages, with a large
quantity of very interesting information. The names of citizens occu-
pied less than half the space.

56 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

The first ship ever used in the state of California as a prison brig
was the bark Strafford. It was brought here from New York in 1849,
and was moored in the Sacramento river opposite the foot of I street.
It cost $50,000, but while lying at the foot of 0 street it was sold at
auction by J. B. Starr to C. C. Hayden for $3,750. Hayden sold three-
quarters of his interest to Charles Morrill, Captain Isaac Derby and
a Mr. Whitney, and in March, 1850, they rented the vessel to the
county for a prison brig. Morrill bought out the interests of the oth-
ers in May, intending to trade between San Francisco and Panama,
and loaded it at the levee so poorly that it nearly capsized when it
reached San Francisco bay. The cargo was readjusted and she went
to sea, but never came back. Soon afterwards the county purchased
the La Grange, of Salem, Mass., and it was moored opposite H street,
but when the big freshet of 1861-62 came down, it strained so heavily
at its moorings that the seams opened and the water came in so fast
that the prisoners were barely saved and conveyed to the city jail, and
the bark filled and sank. Since then Sacramento county has had its
jail on land.

The first house in Sutterville was erected by Sutter, the second by
one Hadel, and the third by George Zins, being a brick building, the
first of the kind erected in California. Zins afterwards manufactured
the bricks in Sacramento from which the first brick buildings in this
city were erected. He stamped each brick with his initials. The
Crocker Art Gallery Museum and the Museum of the Pioneer Asso-
ciation each contain one of them.

The first store opened in Sacramento was at Sutter's Fort, by
C. C. Smith & Co. (Sam Brannan being the Co.), and the first ex-
changes of American goods for California gold were made over its
counters, it having been started about two months before the opening
of the mines.

The first projected rival of Sacramento was Sutterville, as else-
where related. The second was known as Hoboken, north of the pres-
ent town of Brighton, on the south bank of the American. During the
flood of 1853, all communication with the mining counties was cut off
and some enterprising merchants moved their goods out there on the
high ground and laid out a town with wide streets and a steamboat
landing, the American being at that time navigable. In ten days a
town sprang up, with three steamers making daily trips to Sacramento,
and an express office. Many firms removed there and trade flourished,
the city newspapers devoting a page to Hoboken news. As the flood
subsided, however, so did Hoboken, and its site is now occupied by a
farm. The city of Boston was laid out on paper, at the junction of the
Sacramento and American rivers, but never materialized.

The first census taken in the state, in 1851, was under the super-
intendence of J. Neelv Johnson, afterwards governor of the state.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 57

The census credited Sacramento with 11,000, the state census being
120,000. The Federal census of 1860 credited tlie cit}^ with 12,800; of
1870, with 16,283 ; of 1880, with 21,420 ; of 1890, with 26,388 ; of 1900,
with 29,282; of 1910, with 44,696. Since that time a phenomenal in-
crease has been made, through the rapid development of the Sacra-
mento valley, and the annexation of Oak Park and other eastern sub-
urbs, and predictions are made that by the next cen.sus the population
will exceed 100,000.

The first vessel ever used to carry press aud type into interior
California was the Dice me Nana (says my mamma), which brought
an old press and type to Sacramento in order to start the Placer
Times, in 1849, which was the first paper published in Sacramento.

The first public reception and banquet ever given in Sacramento
was in 1849, to Gen. P. F. Smith, military commander on the coast,
Commodore Jones, in command of the navy, Hon. T. Butler King,
who had been sent out by the government to reconnoiter the Sacra-
mento valley and report on it at AVashington, and W. M. Siddons, a
pioneer citizen of Sacramento, who accompanied them. They were
members of an expedition that accompanied Mr. King on his trip.
Lieutenant Stoneman, aftei'wards governor of this state, was with the
expedition but was left in charge of the camp, about five miles from
the city. They were met bv General Sutter, Sam Brannan, B. F. Gil-
lespie,'J. H. Hyer, P. B. Cornwall, Col. J. B. Starr, W. R. Grimshaw,
and a large number of other prominent men, and were given a ban-
quet by the citizens. General Sutter also received them at the fort
and entertained them handsomely.

The first grand ball was given on July 4, 1849, in honor of the
day, at the City Hotel. The young men were sent out to scour the
country and invite all the members of the gentler sex they could find
to attend. From among the immigrant parties and others, they mus-
tered eighteen females, more or less handsome. Tickets of admission
were only thirty-two dollars and champagne flowed freely at a sump-
tuous supper.

The first railroad built was the Sacramento Valley railroad, from
this city to Folsom, in 1855-56.

The first man hung in Sacramento was a gambler, Frederick J.
Roe, who shot a man named Myers, who tried to stop a fight between
Roe and another man. A jury was selected by the people, who found
Roe guilty and a mob broke open the jail, took him out and hung him.

The first steamboat explosion was that of the steamer Fawn,
August 18, 1850.

The first agricultural association in the state met in this city in
the American theatre, October 8, 1852, and a fair was held for a week
or two at the same time.

The first appearance of cholera in Sacramento was on the 20th

58 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

of October, 1850, wlien an immisrant l)y steamer was found dying on
the levee.

The first case of smallpox in this city was in a family named
Zumwalt, during the flood of 1850, Daniel Zumwalt, now a resident of
Anderson, Shasta County, being the first to suffer an attack of the
disease.

The first steamboat that ever came u]) the river to Sacramento
was the Little Sitka, in the latter part of November, 1847. She was
packed on board a Russian bark from Sitka and was of forty tons
burden. She was put together at Y^erba Buena island, near San Fran-
cisco, and was so "cranky" that the weight of a person on her guards
would throw one of her wheels out of service.

The first military organization in Sacramento was the Sutter
Rifle Corps, June 27," 1852.

Ilensley & Reading erected the first frame house in Sacramento,
to be used bj^ them as a store. It stood at the corner of Front and I
streets, and was built before McDougal removed to Sutterville.

The first brick house built in Sacramento, the Pioneer Hotel, was
kept for years by Louis Binninger.

The first mail for Salt Lake left Sacramento on May 1, 1850.

The first fire department was organized in Sacramento February
5, 1850, and was known as Mutual Hook and Ladder Company No. 1.

The first street cars in Sacramento were run about 1860, and
were used chiefly for hauling sand from the river. The rails were of
wood, and the cars ran on II street from Front to Thirteenth. They
sometimes carried passengers.

The first regular street cars in this city were started in August,
1870, the cars, only two in number, being built by the Kimball Manu-
facturing Company of San Francisco. The first electric car, the
motive power being a storage battery, was run in 1888, but the power
applied in that manner proving too expensive, it was soon temp-
porarily suspended and a trolley system, as at present, was later
constructed.

The first Thanksgiving day ever observed in California was on
November 30, 1850. On that day J. A. Benton, pastor of the Congre-
gational Church (known as the First Church of Christ), preached
the sermon on "California as she was, as she is, and as she is to be."

At that time agriculture could hardly be said to be even an ex-
periment, but Mr. Benton uttered this remarkable prophesy: "A
million of jieople cannot fail to thrive ])y cultivating this virgin soil,
and in fifty years they will be here to make the demonstration; farm
houses will dot thickly every valley; niarshes will be redeemed from
overflow and wastes will bloom in beauty and yield harvests of joy.
The state will not fall behind the chiefest in arts and manufacturing
and in commerce. With hundreds of miles of navigable bays and

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 59

rivers, with seven hundred miles of sea coast, with earth's l>roadest
ocean at her feet, gemmed with a thousand sea isles, and having the
shore of a continent, California is to be the Queen of the Seas, and
within tlie Golden Gates are to be the docks and depots of a steam
and electro-magnetic marine, of which all the steam marine that now
exists is but the minutest embryo. The iron horse that has drunk
the waters of the Mississippi will fly over mountain and plain and
river, breathe defiance to yonder beetling cliffs and towering jieaks
of snow, as he dashes forward through the tunneled depths l)eneath,
and comes through our streets to slake his thirst at the Sacramento."

The first school in Sacramento county outside of the city was kept
by a Mr. O'Brien, at the house of Martin Murphy, in San Joaciuin
township.

The first ball held in Sacramento county by the white settlers was
at Moi'mon island, in 1849.

The first courthouse erected in Sacramento, at Seventh and I
streets, was begun in June, 185U, and completed December 24, 1851.
The sessions of the legislature of 1852 and 1854 were held in it. It
was destroyed in the great fire of July 13, 1854, which consumed a
large part of the business portion of the city. Immediately after the
fire, a contract was entered into for the erection of the one on the
same site which was recently demolished to make room for the new
one at present being erected. The cost in toto was $240,000, al-
though the original contract was for $100,000. The cornerstone was
laid September 27, 1854, with Masonic ceremonies, and the building,
which was of lirick, was completed January 1, 1855, and was used by
the state as a capitol from 1855 until the present capitol was built.
It was eighty by one hundred and twenty feet, and sixty feet high,
and the style of architecture was Ionic. The portico was sui)])orted
by ten pillars, three feet six inches in diameter and thirty-three feet
six inches in height. In April, 1870, it was raised to the high gi-ade,
four hundred jack screws being used for that purpose.

Gilbert T. Witham, who lives in Washington, Yolo county, and
who conducted the Coleman house on J street in this city in the early
days, ran the first hack in Sacramento. It was bought in San Fran-
cisco for $3000 cash, and his stand was at the Orleans hotel, on Sec-
ond street. In 1855. he entered the employ of Doughty & Co.. and
for that firm ran the first steam trading and produce boat on the
river. He was the first conductor on the first train out of Sacra-
mento to Chico, Tehama and Red Bluff. Charles Crocker was on the
train, and bossed the job. Mr. Witham saw Governor Stanford turn
the first shovelful of dirt on J street for the building of the Central
Pacific railroad.

The first criminal trial in Sacramento occurred in Sutter's Fort
and was a remarkable one. In January, 1849, Charles E. Pickett,

60 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

afterwards known as "Pliilosopher Pickett," was a merchant in Sut-
ter's Fort, occupying a portion of the northeast bastion, a man named
Alderman, from Oregon, occupying the rest of it. During a dispute
about the premises Alderman advanced on Pickett with an ax up-
lifted. The latter was armed with a shotgun, and warned Alderman
not to come farther, Pickett having retreated to the wall. As Alder-
man continued to advance, Pickett fired and killed him. The cir-
cumstances being well known, and the killing clearly in self-defense,
no attention would have been paid to it, had not Sam Brannan, who
was also a merchant at the fort, stirred up an excitement. He ap-
plied to Frank Bates, who held the office of first alcalde, and then to
John S. Fowler, second alcalde, for a warrant for Pickett's arrest,
and both refused and resigned. The sheriff also resigned. There-
upon Brannan called a meeting of the residents of the fort for the ap-
pointment of an alcalde. Everyone declined, until it came to Bran-
nan, who accepted. The nomination of a prosecuting attorney next
went the rounds till it came to Brannan, who accepted it also. A. M.
Tanner was appointed sheriff and notified Pickett to consider liim-
self under arrest. The court convened, Captain Sutter, John Sinclair,
Capt. W. H. Warner, James H. Toppens and Thomas Murray being
among the members of the jury.

Pickett appeared, accompanied by his attorney, one Payne, also
from Oregon. The sheriff was ordered to bring in drinks for the
court, jury, defendant and counsel. Cigars were proposed, in addi-
tion, but an objection was made and the point argued. The court
decided that "Inasmuch as the ladies of California made a practice
of smoki7ig, it could not be out of place anywhere." Every time the
defendant would ask a witness a question, his counsel would tell him
to be silent, and these altercations became frequent, as the orders on
the sheriff for refreshment became numerous. Midnight came, and
Sutter and Sinclair were asleep, leaning against the wall. One of
the witnesses was testifying that the character of Alderman was bad,
he having killed two men in Oregon, and Captain Sutter awoke, lis
tened a few minutes and said : ' ' Gentlemen, the man is dead, he has
atoned for his faults, and I will not sit here and hear his character
traduced." He then started to leave the court, but was persuaded
to sta\-. When the evidence was closed, Brannan started to sum up
for the prosecution. "Hold on, Brannan," said Pickett, "you are the
judge." "I know I am judge," retorted Brannan, "but I am prose-
cuting too." "All right, go ahead then," said Pickett. AVhen he
finished, Pickett's attorney was too far gone to talk, and Pickett
summed uji for himself. Toward morning the jury announced that
they could not agree, and were discharged. Brannan told the sheriff
that he lemanded the i)risoner to his custody. "What am I to do
with him," asked the shei'iff? "Put him in close confinement," said

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY Gl

Brannan. "I have uo place to put him in," said the sherifif. "Then
put him in irons," was the reply. "There ain't any irons about the
place," returned the officer. After deliberation it was agreed to admit
Pickett to bail, which was readily furnished. At a subsequent trial,
with a sober jury, Pickett was acquitted.

CHAPTER X

THE REVOLUTION

In July, 1839, when Captain Sutter told Governor Alvarado that
he desired to occupy and colonize the section where he afterward
erected his fort, the governor warmly approved his plan and gave
him authority to explore and occupy any teri'itory he found suitable
and told him to return in a year and have his citizenship acknowl-
edged, when he should receive a grant of such lands as he might de-
sire. This was done, and he received a grant of eleven leagTies. At
that time the settlement of Am.ericans in the country was encour-
aged by the local government.

But by 1844 the situation had changed. The events in Texas had
aroused the Mexican people and it was well understood in the United
States that Polk's election to the presidency in 1844 meant the an-
nexation of Mexican territory, and that hostilities might reasonably
be expected soon. At about the same time feelings of animosity be-
gan to spring up in California between the Americans and the Mex-
ican population and the former began to apprehend that the latter
Avould attempt to drive them from the country. True, no declara-
tion of war had yet been' made, but it was evident that both the
United States and the Mexican government were preparing for a hos-
tile meeting. Colonel Fremont had reached California, ostensibly
on an exploring expedition, he having led several exploring expe-
ditions in the western part of the continent. The existing govern-
ment in the southern part of California had shown some opposition
to his progress, and he had turned northward toward Oregon.

In April, 1846, Lieutenant Gillespie of the United States army
arrived in California, and started from Monterey in pursuit of Fre-
mont, and overtook him in Oregon, on May 9th. Gillespie's despatch
to Fremont has never been made public, but it is generally supposed
that it contained orders for Fremont to retrace his steps and hold
himself ready to assist in the conquest of California on the first in-
timation that war was to be declared. He returned and encamped
at or near the ]ilace where Sacramento now stands. The population
of California was estimated at that time to be about ten thousand,
exclusive of Indians. Of this number probably less than two thou-
sand were foreigners. General Castro, was at that time military
commandant of California, and he had several times issued jirocla-

62 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

mations ordering all foreigners to leave the country. The American
settlers therefore determined that the time had arrived when they
must ]n-otect themselves, and that some decisive movement should
be made by them. This movement was precipitated by an order from
Castro to Lieut. Francisco de Arce to proceed with fourteen men as
a guard to the mission of San Rafael, where there were some horses
belonging to the Mexican government, and remove them to the mis-
sion at Santa Clara. As New Helvetia (now the city of Sacramento)
was the first point at which the horses could swim the river, de Arce
was under the necessity of coming to that point. An Indian ob-
served de Arce's party in its movement, and reported that he had seen
two or three hundred men mounted and armed, coming up the Sac-
ramento river. The settlers believed that Castro was leading a large
party to attack Fremont. The news spread among the Americans
by means of couriers, and they gathered for the defense at Fre-
mont's camp, near the confluence of the Feather river with the Sac-
ramento. There they met William Knight, who told them that he
had seen the party of Californians in charge of the horses, and
that de Arce had told that Castro had sent for the horses for the
purpose of mounting a battalion of two hundred men to march
against the Americans settled in the Sacramento valley and to expel
them from the country. The settlers held a consultation and re-
solved that a party should pursue de Arce, and capture the horses
and thus defeat Castro's plans. Twelve men volunteered for the
duty, and chose Ezekiel Merritt, the oldest of the party, as their
captain. At daylight, June 10, 1846, they surprised the C'alifornians,
and captured the horses without resistance. De Arce and liis men
were allowed to go, each one being allowed one horse.

This was the first overt act committed by the foreig-ners and
made it necessary that all in the country should take one side or
the other in the revolution thus i)recipitated. It was followed on
the morning of June 14. by the taking of the town and Mission of
Sonoma. The American party, increased to thirty-three, was led
by Ezekiel Merritt and was known afterward as the famous Bear
Flag party. It was composed mostly of hunters and men who could
leave their homes on short notice. They were roughly dressed and
presented a formidable appearance. They seized the town and mis-
sion without bloodshed and captured Gen. M. G. Vallejo, Lieutenant-
Colonel Prudon, Don Salvador Vallejo and other prominent per-
sons and conveyed them to Sutter's Fort, where they were kept
prisoners for about two months.

As nearly as can be ascertained, the names of the members of
the Bear Flag party from Sacramento valley were : Ezekiel Merritt,
Robert Semple, Henry L. Ford, Samuel Gibson, Granville P. Swift,
William Dickev, Henrv Booker, John Potter, William B. Ide, Will-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 63

iam Fallon, William M. Seott, Henry Beason, William Anderson,
James A. Jones, W. Barti (or "Old Red") and Sami;el Neal. The
rest of the party was from Napa valley.

A garrison of eighteen men, under command of William Ide,
was left at Sonoma and in a few days it was increased to about
forty. Ide issued a proclamation declaring that he and his com-
panions had been invited to come into the country and had been
promised protection by the government, but that they had been sub-
jected to oppression by military despotism; that threats had been
made, by proclamation, of exterminating them if the^^ did not leave
the country; that it meant they must either abandon their property
and be driven through deserts inhabited by hostile Indians, or must
defend themselves; and that they had been forced to inaugurate a
revolution with a view of establishing and perj^etuating a repub-
lican government.

The party obtained its name by adopting what was known as
the Bear flag, and it formed a partial organization under the name
of the Republic of California. The flag borne by them was a piece
of cotton cloth, with one red stripe on the bottom, and on the white
part was the figure of a grizzly bear, with one star in front of him.
It was })ainted or stained with lampblack and poke berries and on
the top were the words, "Republic of California." According to
the history of the event filed in the office of the Society of Califor-
nia Pioneers, the flag was painted with paint secured from a wheel-
right's shop, "and the execution did not excel in artistic merit."

William L. Todd, however, in a letter to the Los Angeles Express
under the date of January 11, 1878, makes this statement: "I have
to say in regard to the making of the original Bear flag of Califor-
nia at Sonoma in 1846, that when the Americans who had taken
up arms against the Spanish regime had determined what kind of
a flag should be adopted, the following persons performed the work:
Granville P. Swift, Peter Storm, Henry L. Ford, and myself. We
procured, in the house where we made our headquarters, a piece of
new, unbleached cotton domestic, not quite a yard wide, with stripes
of red flannel about four inches wide, furnished by Mrs. John Sears,
on the lower side of the canvas. On the upper left-hand corner was
a star, and in the center was the image made to represent a grizzly
bear, so common in this country at that time. The bear and star
were painted with paint made of linseed oil and Venetian red or
Spanish brown. Underneath the bear were the words, 'California
Republic' The other person engaged with me got the materials to-
gether, while I acted as artist. The forms of the bear and star and
the letters were first lined out with pen and ink by myself, and the
two forms were filled in with the red paint, but the letters with
ink. The flag mentioned by Mr. Hittel, with the bear rampant, was

64 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

made, as I always understood, at Santa Barbara, and was painted
black. Allow me to say tbat at that time there was no wheelwright
shop in California. The flag I painted I saw in the rooms of the
California Pioneers in San Francisco in 1870, and the secretary will
show it to any person who will call upon him at any time. If it is
the one that I painted, it will be known by a mistake in tinting out
the words 'California Eepublic' The letters were first lined out
with a pen and I left out the letter 'I' and lined out the letter "C"
in its place. But afterward I lined out the letter 'I' over the 'C
so that the last sj'Uable of 'Republic' looks as if the last two let-
ters were blended." The giiidon used at Sonoma was in 1874 pre-
sented to the California Pioneers by Brig.-Gen. Joseph Revere, who
in 1846, as lieutenant, hauled down the Bear flag and substituted
the Stars and Stripes.

There has been considerable dispute as to the causes which led
to the revolution in California, the capture of Sonoma, Ide's procla-
mation, the raising of the Bear flag and its design. Reliance is
placed on the accounts which were published in the Californian in
August and September, 1846. This was a few months after the oc-
currence of those events and the articles were written by Robert Sem-
ple, the editor, who distinctly stated in them that he wrote them as
a matter of history and for the benefit of future historians.

Commodore John D. Sloat arrived at Monterey July 7, 1846, with
a United States frigate. Monterey was at that time the Mexican
capital of California. The commodore took possession of the town
and hoisted the American flag over the custom house, and from that
day dates the possession of California by the United States. Sloat 's
frigate had been lying at Mazatlan under orders to seize California
on the first intimation that war had been declared against Mexico.
The first American flag was hoisted in the Sacramento valley where
Sacramento City now stands. Colonel Fremont being encamped there
with about one hundred and seventy men. William Scott arrived in
the camp on the evening of July 10, with the news of the hoisting
of the flag at Monterey by Commodore Sloat. He also brought with
him an American flag sent by Capt. John B. Montgomery, of the
United States ship Portsmouth. The Californian, in speaking of the
first receipt of the news at Sacramento, says : "It was received with
universal shouts by the men, and our gallant leader, surrounded by
a number of officers and soldiers, partook of a cup of good brandy,
and sang some national airs. The Star Spangled Banner was re-
ponded to with warmth."

With the raising of the American flag the Bear flag was sup-
planted, and although there were several engagements between the
United States troops and the Mexican forces in the southern part of
the territory of California, the Mexicans capitulated early in 1847, and

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 65

the hostilities ceased. While uiany events happened during the
transition, those above recorded were all that directly affected this
county and the territory surrounding it.

CHAPTER XI
IN THE BEGINNING

The first survey of the plat of Sacramento was made in Decem-
ber, 1848, by Capt. William H. Warner of the United States Army.
Previous to 184-1: Sutter's Fort was the principal trading post in
Upper California. In that year Captain Sutter and some others at
the fort determined to hiy out and build a town on the river bank
three miles below, which they called Sutter, now spoken of as Sutter-
ville. A survey was made by Capt. William Tecumseh Sherman
(afterwards famous during the Civil war as General Sherman), and
building was begun. The first house was erected by Captain Sutter
himself; the second by a Mr. Hadel and a third, a brick structure,
said to be the first of its kind erected in California, by Mr. Zius.
The city began to flourish unrivaled and continued to do so until the
discovery of gold. Soon after that time, however, it came into a
disastrous rivalry with Sacramento. Dr. Morse, the earliest historian
of those times and a warm partisan of Sacramento, gives many in-
teresting particulars of the struggle for supremacy between the two
budding cities, which resulted in the ultimate downfall of the city on
the high grounds back from the river and the success of the city on
the lower level, .that was doomed in a few years to be inundated by
the rising waters, although one of the principal arguments used by
the traders and speculators in their arguments for the support of
this city was that the ground where it stands had never been over-
flowed within the memory of the white man, and never would be.

P>ayard Taylor says in his "Eldorado," of his first visit to Sac-
ramento in October, 1849 : ' ' The limits of the town extended to nearly
one square mile and the number of inhabitants, in tents and houses,
fell little short of ten thousand. The iirevious April there were just
four houses in place. Can the world match a growth like tliis? . . .
The value of real estate in Sacramento is only exceeded by that in
San Francisco. Lots 20x75 feet, in the best locations, brought from
$3,000 to $.3,500. Rents were on a scale equally enormous. The City
hotel, which was formerly a sawmill erected by Captain Sutter, paid
$30,000 per annum. A new hotel, going up on the levee, was already
rented for $35,000. Two drinking and gaming rooms on a business
street paid each $1,000 monthly, invariably in advance. The value
of all the houses in the city, frail and perishable as many of them
were, could not have been less than $2,000,000. . . . The inhabi-
tants had elected a town council, adopted a city charter and were

66 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

making exertions to have the place declared a port of entry. The
political waters were being stirred a little, in anticipation of the ap-
proaching election. Mr. Gilbert, of the Alta California, and Colonel
Stewart, candidate for governor, were in the city. A political meet-
ing which had been held a few nights before, in front of the City
hotel, passed off as uproariously and with as zealous a sentiment
of patriotism as such meetings are wont to at home."

Shortly after the great discovery that was to so influence the for-
tunes of the world and to become the ruin of General Sutter, a num-
ber of stores were located at the fort and an immense business was
soon created there. The first of these was the establishment of C.
C. Smith & Co., in which Sam Brannan was a partner. It was started
a few months before the opening of the mines and the first exchange
of gold dust for store goods took place over its counters. Brannan
afterwards bought his partners out and continued the business in
the old adobe building which was subsequently used as a hospital.
In 1849 the building on the inside of Sutter's Fort was occupied by
Rufus Hitchcock, the upper story being used as a boarding house.
The front room below was used as a barroom and gambling house
and the bar was kept open night and day. If a customer had coin,
his drink cost him fifty cents, but he generally opened his sack and the
barkeeper took out a pinch of gold dust, to be regulated by size or
amount of drink consumed, and in those days very few drank alone.
The cost of board at this ])la('e was $40 per week.

Hitchcock soon left the fort and went to the mines on the Stan-
islaus. In passing it may lie stated that old residents say that in
the '50s Capt. (afterwards Gen.) Ulysses S. Grant, owned a ferry
on the Stanislaus and they often saw him, dressed in red shirt and
overalls, h'ing under a shady tree on the bank, contentedly waiting
for a foot passenger to come along who wanted to be ferried over.
In those days, in fact, many a man who afterwards became prominent
in the history of his country, was a resident of California. Hitch-
cock subsequently became the owner of the Green Springs ranch in
Fldorado county and died there in 1851. He was succeeded in the
boarding liouse by M. F. McClellan of San Francisco. By summer
all the business had become transferred to the Embarcadero or land-
ing place on the Sacramento river, now known as Front street, which
became a lively place. The blacksmith shop at the fort was carried
on by a Mr. Fairchild, who paid an assistant $16 a day and charged
$64 for shoeing a horse all round, or $16 for a single shoe.

In the freighting to the mines, which was done by means of ox
teams, John S. Fowler had a virtual' monopoly and paid his team-
sters from $200 to $250 per month. The rate for freighting was enor-
mous. In the winter of 1848-49 the roads to the mines were almost
impassable. Freight from the fort to Coloma was one dollar a ]iound

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 67

— $2,000 a ton. Even at that price it was impossible to transport
the necessaries of life fast enough to prevent serious apprehensions
of famine in the more distant mining districts.

The firm of S. Brannan & Co. consisted of Sam Brannan, Will-
iam Stone, W. D. Howard, Henrj- Melhas and Talbot H. Green. The
stores of Priest, Lee & Co., Hensley, Reading & Co., Captain Dring,
C. E. Pickett, Von Pfister & Vaughn, and the drug store of Drs.
Frank Bates and AVard were inside of the fort. The prices de-
manded were enormous. One evening John S. Fowler, wishing to
give a supper to his teamsters, saw on the shelf in Brannan 's store
a dozen two-pound cans of oysters and asked the clerk the price.
"Twelve dollars each," replied the clerk. "How much if I take the
lot?" asked Fowler. "One hundred and forty- four dollars," was
the reply. "Well, I'll take them all," said Fowler, and he carried
off his costly prize.

Brannan 's employes were: Jeremiah Sherwood, of New York;
Tallman H. Ralfe, afterwards editor of the Democrat in Nevada
City; J. Harris Trowbridge, afterwards of Newburg, N. Y. ; George
M. Robertson, afterwards supreme judge of Oahu, Sandwich Islands;
James B. Mitchell, subsequently public administrator of Sacramento
county, who died in 1857 in Benicia; W. R. Grimshaw, a well-known
resident for many years on the Cosumnes river ; and James Queen.

The pioneers did not leave their patriotism behind them when they
came here. The 4th of July, 1849, was celebrated in the shade of a
grove of oak trees, the last survivor of which, hoary with age and
covered with mistletoe, stood for many years in front of the old build-
ing on L street which was used as a hospital. The orators of the
day were William M. Gwin and Thomas Butler King, who after-
wards served the state in the United States senate.

Shortly afterward came the struggle for supremacy with Sut-
terville. As soon as the survey of Sacramento City had been made
George McDougall obtained a lease of the ferry at a jwint below
the entrance of Sutter Lake, and located a store-ship on ^\e river
bank opposite I street, and in company with Judge Blackburn, opened
it with a large stock of goods. When John A. Sutter, Jr., arrived,
his father, the ca])tain, transferred to him all the proprietary rights
in the city of Sacramento. McDougall declared that his lease gave
him control of six hundred feet along the river front, and a dispute
arose which was carried into the courts. Being defeated, McDougall
in a rage determined to destroy the prospects of the city, and re-
moved his goods to Sutterville. He then came out with immense
placards stating that he would sell goods at cost and freight, and
made a verbal declaration that if necessary he would sell goods at
cost. This produced a lively agitation among the traders and they
patched up a scheme of purchase which broke up many lines of Mc-

68 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Dougall's stock aud, as it was no easy task in those days to replenish
it, effectually extinguished McDougall's enterprise and put an end to
the budding hopes of Sutterville as well.

The latter end was accomplished largely by a shrewd specu-
lative move on the part of Sam Brannan, Judge Bui'nett and Priest,
Lee & Co. The Sutterville proprietors had offered to donate to
these traders eighty lots in Sutterville if they would transfer their
stocks and business to Svitterville. They informed young Sutter
of the offer and persuaded him that it would be for his interest to
give them about five hundred lots in Sacramento to induce them to
sta>- here, aud he did so. Such was the passing of Sutterville, and
today the old brick brewery stands as a monument of its decease,
while the ))ig brick stores whicli stood there until later years have
disappeared.

Sacramento grew apace. Ajjril 1, 184!), the number of inhabi-
tants of the fort aud city did not exceed one hundred and ten. An
election had been held the preceding fall for first and second alcaldes,
resulting in the election of Frank Bates and John S. Fowler, re-
spectively. Fowler resigned in the spring and Henry A. Schoolcraft
was appointed in his place. Early in the spring a board of commis-
sioners consisting of Messrs. Brannan, Snyder, Slater, Hensley,
King, Cheever, McCoover, McDougall, Barton Lee, Feete, Dr. Car-
penter, Fowler and Southard was elected to frame a code of laws for
the district. The committee met under an oak tree at the foot of T
street and submitted a report which recommended the election of one
alcalde and one sheriff, who should have jurisdiction from the Coast
Range to the Sierra Nevada and throughout the length of the Sac-
ramento valley. H. A. Schoolcraft was elected alcalde and A. M.
Turner, sheriff, aud thus was laid the foundation of the judicial and
political system in Northern California, under a sturdy oak on the
banks of the Sacramento.

Immigration was coming liy sea, although as yet in not very
great nipnbers between February to June, but improvement went
steadily on. The condition was anomalous. There was no law or
system of government, yet there was no discord or disorder. There
was no legal restraint imposed on citizens, yet during these months
the community was exempt from violence, and all seemed imbued
with a feeling of forbearance and accommodation. The craze for
gold had not yet fastened its deleterious influence on men, and right
and a feeling of equality and independtoce seemed to guide their
actions.

Trading \aelded an enormous profit and everyone was absorbed
in it. Two hundred per cent was the profit on goods procured from
San Francisco and trading in gold dust was very profitable. At
first the scale of payment for goods with dust ranged from $8 to

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 69

$16 an ouuee. Clerks could liartlly be retained in the stores at from
$200 to $300 i^er month. The trade between the mines and Sacra-
mento was immense. Such was the prevailing feeling of honesty and
security that neither goods nor gold dust were watched with anxiety
for their safety. Miners came to town with bags of gold dust which
they took no more care of than their hats and boots. Money was
so ])lentiful that there was no temptation to steal. By the first of
May there were about thirtj^ stores, and two barks and a brig were
moored along the shore. The Whiton, one of the former, had as-
tonished the residents by coming up from San Francisco in three
days, from five to ten days having been consumed before then by
small boats and launches.

lu' June there came a change. Immigrants began to arrive by
thousands and to outfit' for the mines, Sacramento being the point of
departure for the northern mines. The American, Yuba, Bear and
Feather rivers were the points of attraction and Sacramento was
the place for outfitting. Business became a rush in which the cal-
culation was only for today. Transportation from San Francisco was
the source of enormous profits and every craft that could be procured
was pressed into service. The cost of passage from San Francisco
to Sacramento was from $16 to $25 and the freight rate was cor-
respondingly high. On June 26th the city numbered a hundred houses
"and the City Hotel, on Front street between I and J, 35x53 feet and
of three stories, originally framed for a saw and grist mill for Cap-
tain Sutter, was said to have cost $100,000. It was headquarters
for the aristocracy of the times and the scene of many town-meetings.

Every sort of material from which tents, store ; and houses could
be constructed rose to enormous prices. Muslin, calico, canvas, old
sails, logs, boards, zinc and tin were priceless po'ssessions. The hun-
dreds of immigTants coming in were lucky if they could have the
shade of the trees to protect them from the noonday sun or the night.
Gambling was everywhere carried on and magnificent saloons were
built at enormous cost, the first place of public gaming being on J
street, between Second and 'Third, kept by James Lee, an<l euphoni-
ously named "The Stinking Tent." Others followed, and a demo-
cratic and cosmopolitan crowd composed their patrons. Coin was
scarce and the miners brought their bags of gold dust, de])ositing
them with the game keepers and drawing from them as the game pro-
gressed, generally till all was gone, and then went back to the mines
for more. Not one person in ten, either by absence or condemnation,
tried to discountenance gaming. Indeed, it is narrated by Dr. Morse
that two exclergyTnen were conspicuous among the gamesters, one
dealing monte and the other playing faro. Poker was played by the
larger capitalists on a magnificent scale, the ante being often $100
and $3,000 being frequently bet on a single hand. One individual

70 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

is said to Jiave staked a thousand ounces on a hand and won, after
ba\'ing Jest nearly that much previously. Many men who had been
brought up to regard gambling as a stain on a man's character and
who had left their wives and children in straightened circumstances,
says Morse, hastened to hazard and lose the first few hundred or
thousand dollars they had made.

But a moral wave soon swept over the community. In Api-il,
1849, Rev. Dr. Woodbridge preached the first sermon ever heard in
Sacramento. In May Dr. Deal, a practicing physician, undertook to
establish regular religious services and in July Rev. J. A. Benton
began his long and beneficent services in the citJ^ "His course," tes-
tifies Dr. Morse, "was from the first consistent. He was essentially
a minister of the gospel — a seven-days advocate of the Christian re-
ligion." He extended his influence by a pure life, winning the re-
spect and confidence of the people, instead of making an onslaught
on the tide of vice, and soon acquired great influence in the com-
munity. At this late day many of the pioneer Sacramentans who knew
him speak in the highest terms of his character. He sometimes made
missionary excursions of two or three weeks duration, sleeping on
the ground nnder the trees and living like the primitive Apostles.

Before the removal of McDougall's store, Hensley and Read-
ing had erected a frame building in Sacramento, on the corner of I
and Front streets, the first frame house in the new city. Soon after
that a Mr. Ingersoll erected a building half canvas and half frame,
between J and K on Front street and Mr. Stewart 4iad put up a
canvas house on the bank of the river, which was opened as a tavern.
In February, 1849, Sam Brannan erected a frame storehouse on the
corner of J and Front streets, and this was soon succeeded by an-
other belonging to Priest, Lee & Co., on the corner of Second and J
and directly afterwards two substantial log houses were erected by
Mr. Gillespie and Dr. Carpenter.

For a time the chief place for business was on First or Front
street between J and K, but soon it began to extend up J and K
streets to Third. The river bank was piled with the goods of immi-
grants and merchandise, and storage facilities were entirely in-
adequate. The chief business was in miners' supplies. Lumber was
from fifty cents to a dollar per square foot, and hard to get at that.
Teaming and packing earned enormous revenue. In December $50
a hundred was charged for hauling goods from Sacramento to
Mormon Island and Auburn. In July fresh beef sold for fifteen
cents a pound; bread fifty cents a loaf; butter from $2 to $3 a poimd;
milk $1 a quart ; dried apples $1 to $2 a pound ; saleratus $6 a pound,
and pickles whatever their owner chose to ask. Carpenters were
paid $16 a day; laborers $1.50 an liour; board without lodging
$16 to $49 a week; washing $6 to $12 a dozen; doctor's fees $16 to

HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 71

$32 a visit. A glass of liquor at a first-class bar cost $1, ami a cigar
fifty cents. Everything was high in proportion.

But business did not entirely engross the attention of the citi-
zens. There were some votaries of pleasure, and on July 4, 1849,
a grand ball was given at the City hotel, at that time the headquar-
ters of Sacramento fashion and aristocracy. Money was spent with-
out stint to enhance the success and dignity of the occasion, and the
affair was on a magnificent scale. There was a dearth in the com-
munity of feminine attractions and the surrounding country was
scoured thoroughly by a committee of young men to gather in all
the ladies that could be obtained to grace the occasion. Every min-
ing camp, ranch, wagon, tent and log cabin was canvassed, with such
success that eighteen of the fair sex were secured. To quote Dr.
Morse again. "Not all Amazons, but replete with all the adornments
and graces that belong to bold and enterprising pioneers of a new
country. Tickets to the ball were fixed at the moderate price of thir-
ty-two dollars ; gentlemen were requested to have swallow-tail coats
and white vests. The supper was, of course, a profusion of all that
money could obtain," and champagne flowed freely, despite its cost.
Thus was the pace set for future occasions in the new city.

In July, 1849, a movement was set on foot to organize a city
government. An election for councilmen was held at the St. Louis
Exchange on Second street between I and J, and the first council-
men for the city of Sacramento were chosen as follows: John P.
Rodgers, H. E. Robinson, P. B. Cornwall, William Stout, E. F. Gil-
lespie, Thomas F. Chapman, M. T. McClelland, A. M. Winn and B.
Jennings. The new council was organized on August 1st, with Will-
iam Stout as president and J. H. Harper as clerk. The first busi-
ness transacted was the preparation of a constitution for local gov-
ernment. A. M. Winn was afterwards made president in place of
Stout, who had left the city. On September 20th an election was held
to decide on a city charter. A draft had been prepared by the coun-
cil but the citizens did not turn out well to vote, and it was defeated
by a majority of one hundred and forty-six votes. Its rejection was
charged to the gamblers, who opposed a change and worked hard
and spent much money to defeat it. Up to this time there had been
no law or government that was more than nominal, as there was no
court except that of the alcalde, which, while expeditious, was costly
in dispensing justice. The people therefore shunned litigation and
this lawless state just suited the gamblers. This was a great morti-
fication to the council, and the president issued a proclamation stat-
ing that the council was unalile to determine what the citizens wanted,
and as the powers and duties of the council were not defined, they
desired to know whether the citizens desired still to act under the
Mexican laws at present in force, although ina"pplicable to the pres-

72 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ent conditions, or to adopt a charter, striking out sucli features as
were objectionable. Immediate action was necessary if the council
was to be of any use. It therefore asked the citizens to meet Octo-
ber 10, 1849, and declare what they wished the council to do. The
people, who had paid no attention hitherto to local government,
awoke from their apathy. A Law and Order party was formed.
The gamblers were defeated and the charter adopted by a majority
of two hundred ninety-six. The charter adapted, however, contained
matter relative to taxation which rendered it unpopular, and it was
soon amended.

The council soon had a burden of troubles of its own. The com-
munity had enjoyed robust health during the spring and summer
months, but with the fall a terrible change came. Many of the ed-
venturous immigrants had seemed to think that nothing was neces-
sary to their success except to reach California. Many of them were
destitute on their arrival. Not one in a hundred had money to buy
an outfit for the mines at the ruinous prices asked. Many were suf-
fering from hardships and privations endured on the overland jour-
ney, or as steerage passengers saturated with scorbutic diseases or
so dejDressed or despondent that they became an easy prey for dis-
ease. Nine-tenths of these adventurers poured into Sacramento,
the nearest point for outfitting for the mines. Here they met another
train of scorbutic sufferers straggling in from the east, debilitated
and worn out by the hardships encountered.

From these causes Sacramento had become one vast lazar house
long before the city government was organized and the council im-
mediately found a serious condition confronting it. This was in-
tensified by the fact that as men became accustomed to these scenes
of suffering, familiarity with them hardened their hearts, and cupid-
ity took possession of them. The lure of gold beckoned them away.
They could not spare time to relieve the distress of their fellows,
They must press on to the diggings and begin to acquire their for-
tunes. Fathers abandoned their sons, and sons abandoned their
fathers when they required a little troublesome care. When they
could be of no further iise to each other friendship and kinship be-
came mere words. One flagrant case was that of an old father, who
had furnished the means for his son and other relatives to come to
the new Eldorado, but was deserted by them as he lay dying with
scurvy on the levee, where he soon passed away. The sick and suf-
fering accumulated so fast that by July means of caring for them
were entirely inadequate. Creigan's Hospital at the fort and the
one opened by Dr. Deal and Dr. Martin were filled, but the prices
for nursing and board were prohibitive to four-fifths of those need-
ing care. Miasmatic fevers added to the misery and distress of the
scurw.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY TA

But charity had not departed, and compassion and help were at
hand in a limited degree. Two great fraternal orders were represented
among the community, not organized into lodges, but nviml)ering many
individual members. The feeling of brotherhood that had bound them
together, also bound them to relieve distress as far as lay in their
power, and nobly did they come to the front and face the stupendou.5
task. The first effective efforts for relief came from members of the
fraternity of the Odd Fellows. They came together and bound them
selves into an informal organization and devoted themselves with
earnest zeal to the relief of the distressed. A. M. Winn was elected
president of the association, a Mr. McLaren secretary and Captain
Gallup, treasurer. Every member of this body became a visiting com
raittee and an immense amount of relief was dispensed.

They were joined by the members of the Masonic fraternity in
their eiforts to take care of the sick and destitute. "Tlie two noble
orders contributed inoney and exertions as freely as if their lives
had been devoted to the exclusive function of human kindness," says
Dr. Morse, "and their fair names are inscribed in indelible and liv-
ing characters upon those pages of history which California
ought to and must preserve." But their combined efforts, assisted
by those of the council, could not do all that there was to do. The
people were appealed to in a public meeting. to come forward and
assist in the general effort for relief. The president of the council
was dispatched to Monterey for the purpose of laying the case be-
fore General Riley and procuring from him some of the public funds
then in his possession. But their mission was a failure, as General
Riley, the military governor of the territory, did not consider he had
the right thus to use the national funds.

Sacramento was then thrown u])on her own resources, and with
her treasury empty and low credit, she did all that was possible and
by co-operation with individual effort and the two fraternities she
succeeded in furnishing a tolerable shelter and medical attendance
for the sick. Rough pine coffins had ranged from $60 to $150, and
even then the supply was far from sufficient, so hundreds had been
buried without coffins and even without being wrapped up in a blan-
ket. The Odd Fellows spent thousands of dollars for coffins and
when General Winn became the executive officer of the city, no man
was refused a coffiu burial. The scenes of those days were terrible
and the description of their horrors is almost unreadable.

When the rains set in the. misery was increased. Many of the sick,
with typhus and other fevers, lay without shelter from the pitiless
storms. Finally Drs. Morse and Stillman aroused the sympathies of
Barton Lee, whose name should occupy an honored place in the
City's history, and induced him to erect a story and a half hospital,
40x50 feet, at the corner of Third and K streets. The city deter-

74 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

mined also to erect a two story hospital, 20x60 feet between I and
J, Ninth and Tenth streets, and $7000 was expended for lumber,
but when it was partially erected it was prostrated to the gTOund by
a rain and wind storm, and the timber so injured as to make it al-
most useless for building purposes.

But the future city was doomed to pass through a yet more try-
ing period. An enemy came like a thief in the night, for which she
had made no provision. The reckless speculators had declared there
was no danger of inundation and the people had been credulous
enough to believe them when they declared that the city's site had
remained free from flood during the sojourn of the oldest Californians.
The })eople had not raised their buildings, but had built on the ground
wherever their lots happened to be. The rains through the latter
part of December and the first part of January had awakaned anx-
iety. The Sacramento and American rivers were rising rapidly and
the back country seemed to be filling up and cutting off communi-
cation with the higher lands. But the citizens, with fatuous confi-
dence in the assertions that a flood could not harm them, made no
preparations for the deluge. Hence, when it came, there was no
adequate protection for life or property. Many were drowned, some
in their beds, some in trying to escape, and many from the terrible
exposure. The few boats belonging to the shipping at the Embarca-
dero were pressed into service to rescue the women and children and
the sick, that were scattered over the city in tents and canvas houses.
Some of the women were found standing upon beds or boxes, in water
a foot or two deep. Sick men on cots were found floating about help-
lessly. By mere accident a boat in which Capt. J. Sherwood was
manager passed the hospital and was attracted by the cries of the
sick for help. He immediately proceeded to rescue them and took
them to safety in Mr. Brannan's house.

Most of these poor sufferers died and after being placed in coffins,
were buried across the river. One of the men detailed for this duty
was a Dutchman who was very suspicious of everyone so far as his
money was concerned, and having accumulated about $2,000 in gold
dust carried it in a belt around his waist. They placed the coffin
across a small boat, and when they had reached some distance the
boat careened and sank. The Dutchman, who was a good swimmer,
called to his companion that he would swim ashore and get a boat,
but weighted down with the gold that he loved better than his life,
he sank. His companion hung on to the coffin and reached shore
safely. The description given by Dr. Morse of the neglect of the sick
and their condition is almost beyond belief.

After the January flood in 1850, prices of everything rose enor-
mously and continued high for a long time. But the high prices of

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 75

real estate did not shrink on account of the flood and destruction.
Here are some of the current prices in the city in April and May:

Filtered water, per barrel, $1.50; washing and ironing, per dozen,
$7.00; private boxes at the theater, $4.00; ordinary boxes at the
theater, $3.00; pit seats at the theater, $2.00; musicians in gambling
houses, by the day, $16.00; hauling lumber from First to Second
street, per thousand, $3.00; hair cutting, $1.50; shaving, $1.00; bil-
liards, per game, $1.00; saddle horses, per day, $10.00; lodging,
without blankets, per night, $1.00; celery, per head, 20 cents; peas in
the pod, per gallon, $2.00; radishes, every size, per bunch, $1.00;
turkeys, per pair, $16.00; apples, small, but good, each, 50 cents;
specked apples, each 25 cents; Colt's pistols, medium .size, $75.00.

Up to the 6th of August the amount of $100,000 had been issued
by warrants to meet the expenditures for the city government, as
shown by the mayor's statement. The estimated sum to be expended
for the construction of the levee' and the city government inclusive
footed up $300,000. Sacramento endured grievous troubles in August
and September. The contests about titles, the breaking up of confi-
dence in the general value of property thus situated, the pecuniary
embarrassments that were plunging men into bankruptcy and ruin,
and the heavy taxation necessary to sustain the city government and
complete the public works necessary to protect the city from floods,
were enough to utterly discourage the citizens and destroy their confi-
dence in the city's future. But the community was composed of men
of iron; men who had come thousands of miles through all sorts of
dangers and perils to found on the shores of the Pacific a great
empire, although they were at that time unconscious of the fact and
looked not far beyond the present. Their energy was unconquerable
and inextinguishable, and the greater the burdens imposed by fate, the
more manfully and determinedly they strove to overthrow them.
That this city exists to-day, large and prosperous, is indisinitable
evidence that they succeeded.

In August the council made itself decidedly unpo])nlar by "one
or two of its acts. The members appropriated to themselves a salary
of $200 a month each. In addition to this, the taxpayers saw the
appointment of various committees to duties that were but little
more than nominal, and who drew $25 a day for their services, in
addition to their regular salary voted.

After the bankruptcies of September and the squatter riots of
August affairs settled down to a degree of quiet and the people
began to engage more systematically and soundly in business, which
was augmented extraordinarily by the heavy demand for goods and
their transportation to the mines. During the previous winter the
people in the mines had suffered greatly from ])rivations and were
thrown into a desperate and almost starving condition from the

76 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

scarcity of provisions and the cutting off of communication with the
city by the floods. As a natural consequence, in tlie fall soon after
the revulsion in finance, there sprang up a brisk demand and an
immense and profitable trade was inaugurated and carried on between
the merchants and jniners. The situation being thus relieved, the
effect upon the city was such as almost to restore its former pros-
perity.

At this time a public question began to awaken interest in the
men's minds and to cause them to watch every arrival from Wash-
ington and the news brought, with intense anxiety. This was the
question of admission as a state to the Union. The constitution
had been adopted, the application made, but congress still delayed
action and the community was in a state of painful suspense as to
what the outcome would be. One can readily imagine, then, the relief
to the tension when the news came that California was a member of
the great Union of states. Early in the morning of October 15th,
it is stated, the rapid firing of cannon upon the levee awakened the
citizens to the fact that the news had arrived and that our admission
was an assured fact. It was a season of rejoicing that for the moment
almost obliterated the memory of the i^ast misfortunes. In addition
to the news it was ascertained that a number of Sacrainento's citizens
had returned by the steamer that brought the news.

But Sacramento's cup of sorrow was not yet full and a lu^avier
calamity than any that had gone before, was, even in this season
of rejoicing, hovering over the devoted city. The same fostering
breezes that had borne on the steamer bringing the news of admission
had also borne on their wings a ghastly pestilence and on the steamer
itself many of the passengers had fallen victims to the dread scourge.
A most maligTiant cholera was sweeping on toward California and
many were the imknown graves that it was to fill in the new state
ere its violence should be abated. City and country were alike to it
and the urban dweller and the miner in his cabin were alike to pay
toll to the dread Reaper. The tale that is told by the pioneers who
escaped with life the pestilence harrows the soul of the listener with
the vivid pictures of distress and destruction. Each successive day
brought news from San Francisco that the passengers on the ill-
fated steamer were still being decimated by the terrible scourge. Not
only this, but the accounts of the visit of the disease to Sandusky.
Rochester, St. Louis and other places began to fill the hearts of the
])eople with a dread of im))ending disaster. The stories of its relent-
less malignity and the wide-spread destruction that accompanied its
progress fell like a ])all on the conmumity, and terror fell on all.
It is dou))tfnl if history records a jiarallel of the destructive panic
that followed its aii])earance on this coast and in this city. The hard-
ships and disease that had i)i-evailed during the suninier and which

HISTORY OF SA(^RAMI<]NTO COITNTV 77

were sufficient to crush all progress and energy in a less buoyant and
determined people, had been too recent to allow of a recuperation of
their health and strength and rendered them an easy prey for the
insidious disease.

As is well known, in cases of epidemics, the mass of the people is
filled with fear and dread, and in the fevered state of mind prevailing
it was easy for the disease to develop to terrific proportions. Panic
predisposed the people to receive its attacks, and it hardly needed
an imported case to spread the disease. Early in the morning of
October 20 a person was found on the levee in the collapsing stage
of the dread disease. Medical aid was summoned, but he was too
far gone and soon died. Tlie cholera was in the city. The news
spread as if by magic, the circumstances grew in horror with repeti-
tion and the pall of despair seemed to settle down like a black cloud,
over the city. It is well known bv experience that the fear of disease
and the dwelling on its symptoms are very often followed by its
appearance and so it was largely in this case. The next day several
more fatal cases were reported and as the stories spread and were
constantly auginented in their description, it is not to be wondered at
that fear should have become an auxiliary to the disease and that
the epidemic was soon in full progress.

In six days from its inception, the disease had made such progress
that regular burials were but slightly attended to and nursing and
attention were frequently wanting. Money, so powerful an agent
in most cases, could scarcely purchase the offices of common kindness
and charity. Affection seemed blunted and the fear of death seemed
to sever all ties and develop elements of selfishness. But little could
be done under these conditions to arrest the course of the disease,
and it swept through the community with irresistible force. In many
such epidemics the personal ]ial)its of in(li\i(luals have a strong influ-
ence in resisting disease or inviting it, but the case was different here.
Men of the most reg-ular, careful and industrious habits were its
\-ictims equally with those who were intemperate and irregular. In
a few days many of the most ]irominent and substantial citizens fell
before the pestilence. None seemed immune.

It was reported that a hundred and fifty cases occurred in one
day, but such was the confusion and the panic in the community
that no records were kept, nor can any accurate data be found in
regard to the havoc made by this epidemic. As the number of deaths
increased and men were kept constantly employed in the removal
of the dead, the citizens began to leave the city in every direction
and the numlier increased so rapidly that in a short time not more
than one-fifth of the residents remained. The most heartrending
abandonment of relatives and friends took place during the reign
of terror. But a very small remnant resisted the instinct of self-

78 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

})reservation and remained to minister to tlie sick and dying. A few
noble men, moved ])y sympathy, the divine attribute of onr nature,
remained to do what they could for the relief of suffering humanity,
and their humane ministrations, regardless of danger and death, did
much to ameliorate the situation. Their names should be written in
letters of gold in the history of Sacramento and California, but
alas, they were lost to us and their only reward was the consciousness
of having done their duty. One name, however, has been preserved,
that of John Bigler, afterwards governor of California, whom Dr.
Morse describes as moving among the dead and dying, with a large
lump of camphor in one hand, which he frequently applied to his
nostrils, as an antidote to the disease. No danger of infection daunted
him, however, and where misery, death and destitution abounded, he
•was ever to be found in its midst, proffering aid and sympathy.

The physicians of the city did noble work. No danger appalled
them. Night and day they responded to the call of distress, scarcely
pausing to snatch a few hours of needed sleep and rest. Before
the epidemic subsided seventeen of them were deposited in the
sand hill cemetery of the city — an almost unexampled mortality in
the profession in a season of epidemic. Not one in ten escaped
the disease and not a single educated physician turned his back on the
city in its extremity. In such a time of delirium and terror it is
no wonder that no systematic records were kept. In fact it was
impossible. Not only in the city, but on the roads, and even in the
mines, many who were fleeing from the pestilence were stricken down
by the awful malady and perished, unknown and unaided in many
cases. In the latter part of the epidemic, the city authorities, who
had from the first done all they could to relieve the suffering,
obtained the use of a large frame building on L street, where the
destitute victims were taken and cared for.

"From the beginning, the local pai)ers had endeavored, as
usual in such cases, to conceal the extent of mortality, and their
files of that date give no adequate idea of the fearful scourge," say
Thompson and West in their history. On the 24th of October the
city ])hysieian reported seven cases of cholera to the council, five
of whicii were fatal. Some of the doctors endeavored to quiet public
apprehension by giving the opinion that the disease was only a violent
form of cholera morbus. The Times "felt confident that there was
very little danger, and had not heard of a single case where the
patient had not been previously reduced by diarrhoea." On the
27th, six cases were reported, and the Ti))U's "hoped that some pre-
cautionary measures would be taken." On the 29th twelve cases
appeared; on the 30th, nineteen, and it was no longer possible to
conceal the fact that a terrible epidemic had attacked the com-
munity. A Sacramento correspondent of the Alia says on November

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 79

4: "The daily mortality is about sixty. Many deaths are concealed,
and many others are not rejiorted. Deaths durinfi: the past week,
so far as known, 188." On November 14, the daily mortality had
decreased to twelve and on the 17th, the pestilence was reported as
having entirely disappeared. But the jirecise number of fatal cases
can never be known, as a great number were reported to have died
of dysentery, fevers, and other diseases, for the purpose of quieting
the public anxiety and restoring the confidence of the people. Many
of the victims were buried in unknown graves and their very location
was soon forgotten. Many a wife or mother or sister waited in
vain for tidings of the loved ones that never came, and never knew
when or how they had passed away.

A writer who was one of the survivors of that terrible time says :
"What with floods and fires, insurrection and the plague, the very
stars seemed to fight against Sacramento in her infancy, and the
foundation of her later prosperity was laid upon the ashes of her
pioneers." Before the disastrous visitation of the cholera. Dr. Still-
man walked through the sandhill cemetery and counted eight hundred
graves that had not yet been sodded over, and how many more
were added by the still more terrible destroyer is not found recorded
in the history of the time. Of a company of forty men who came
out on the infected schooner Montague, more than half died after her
arrival; and after her departure from Sacramento for Panama, the
captain, second mate and six passengers died of cholera before leaving
San Francisco bay.

This terrible calamity lasted in its malignant form only about
twenty days, but under the circumstances and from lack of systematic
records, the number of deaths will never be known. Its abatement
lasted much longer than its period of beginning and virulence, and
began just as soon as the people became familiarized with its features
and the terrible scenes in their midst, thus rendering them less liable
to be attacked through a paralyzing fear. By the time it ceased, the
city had become nearly depopulated and many thought it would
never rise again from the disaster. But such prophecies did not take
into account the sturdy perseverance of a strong people. Just as
soon as the mortality began to obviously decrease, the fugitives began
to return, and those who had remained to help their fellow man and
to abide by the fortunes of the city recovered their elasticity of mind
and energy. A transformation immediately commenced to take place
in the appearance of the city. Confidence in its healthfulness re-
turned; men grew cheerful and hopeful and business communication
with the mines was reopened. The previous prosperous conditions
were restored and for several weeks business was good once more, and
the beautiful winter that followed stimulated the community to ener-
getic efforts.

80 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

But the inerchauts and traders had unfortunately calculated too
much upon a winter like those of 1848 and 1849. This induced them
to transport at high prices large stores of goods into the mining
regions, trusting that communication would be difficult, as it was
in the former year. But these goods, in consequence of the lack of
water in dry diggings and the roads that offered immediate communi-
cation with the mines all winter, were sold at ruinous sacrifices.

A synopsis of events in the spring and summer shows that the
city was divided into wards, April 15 ; the first mail left for Salt
Lake, May 1 ; a city election May 5 polled 2482 A'otes and James R.
Hardenbergh was elected mayor; the treasurer's report. May 6, showed
the city's receipts for the fiscal year to have been $214,939.86 and
the mayor's report showed the indebtedness to be $368,551.29 and
that $80,000 of this was drawing interest at ten to twenty per cent
per month, the balance from three to eight per cent per month.
In June the city debt was funded at ten per cent per annum in New
York and twelve yer cent in Sacramento. In September the popular
vote of the county was 4115. The Tehama Theater burned August 13
and Dr. Volney Spalding opened the American Theater September 9.
On December 24 the courthouse was finished and January 14, 1852,
the state offices and legislature moved to Sacramento and the
first legislative session opened January 16. One thousand persons
arrived by steamer January 20 and on the 23d, a brick building now
on K street was begun. March 7 the city was overflowed again.

At the municipal election, April 5, twenty-eight hundred two
votes were east, C. I. Hvitchinson being elected mayor. The debt had
increased to $449,105.32 and the estimated revenue to $200,000. At an
election July 17 the people voted for a wide levee through I street,
and also to erect a city hall and prison. October 8 there was an
agricultural fair. The population at this time was between ten
thousand and twelve thousand. On November 2 there was a terrible
conflagration. December 17 there was a storm of four days duration
and on the 25th the upper part of the city was flooded. By January
1, 1853, the water was higher than ever before known. January 13
the people voted for water-works, fire department, loan and three-
quarters per cent additional taxation. Many mercantile houses this
month established branches at Hoboken, trade being entirely cut off
from the city by reason of high water and impassable roads.

The Golden Eagle, at the corner of Seventh and K streets,
was for more than half a century considered the hotel par excellence
of the city, and dates back in a much cruder form to the early days
of Sacramento. For many years it was a headquarters for the
Repulilican politicians, while the Cajiital hotel, on the corner opposite,
was considered the Democratic headquarters. Many a state campaign
and legislative session were engineered and directed from these two
points.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 81

Where the Golden Eagle now stands, in 1851, "Dan" Callahan,
for many years the proprietor of that hotel, erected his frame lodging
house, which he had purchased for a span of horses, and added to
it a canvas annex, upon the flaps of which a joker named Wrightmire,
with artistic talent, drew with charcoal the figure of an eagle, with
outspread wings and a pensive air, and named the structure the
Golden Eagle, and the name clung to it through the pioneer days with
the tenacity of an inspired title.

CHAPTER XII
POLITICAL

In 1854 the old Whig party was passing away and the anti-slavery
party was pushing its way to the front. The exciting struggle in
"bleeding" Kansas was attracting widespread attention and becom-
ing a lively political issue and a fruitful subject for discussion. On
Tuesday, July 18, a Democratic convention met in the Fourth Street
Baptist Church in this city, at 3 P. M. Disturbance was in the air,
and long before the hour for opening the convention, the doors of
the church were surrounded by people, a great many of whom were
not delegates. The church would hold about four hundred, and as
soon as the doors were opened the people crowded in and filled it to
its utmost capacity.

D. C. Broderick was chairman of the state central committee,
and when he ascended the platform he was received with continued
cheers. As soon as he called the convention to order a number of
delegates sprang to their feet, in order to make nominations for
temporary chairman. He recognized T. L. Vermule as having the
floor, but before he could make the announcement, John O'Meara
nominated ex-Governor Jolm McDougal for temporary chairman.
Vermule nominated Edward McGowan for chairman pro tem, and
Broderick announced that he could not recognize O'Meara 's nomina-
tion, and put the question on McGowan 's election and declared him
elected. McGowan mounted the platform immediately, followed closely
by McDougal, whose friends insisted that he had been elected, although
his name had not been submitted to the convention in regular form.

The convention thus had two chairmen, who took seats side by
side and pandemonium reigned for a time. Finally a semblance of
order was restored, and McDougal announced the names of Major
G. W. Hook and John Bidwell as vice-presidents and McGowan
announced J. T. Hall and A. L. Laird as appointed by him to those
offices. A scene of noise and confusion again followed, but the gen-
tlemen named took their seats with their respective leaders. The
appointment of two sets of secretaries and committees followed and
reports were made to each side, recommending that the temporary

82 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

officers be made the permanent ones. Motions were made to adopt
the respective reports, and were declared carried,, amid great excite-
ment.

The convention transacted no other business, but sat as a double-
header until nine o'clock that night, each side endeavoring to outstay
the other. One sickly tallow candle in front of each president, illum-
inated the scene, or rather made darkness visible. The situation
lasted Imtil the trustees of the church notified the convention that
they would no longer tolerate the riotous assemblage in the church,
and the delegates departed without attending to the formality of
an adjournment.

Pandemonium had reigned throughout the session and soon after
the organization was completed a crowd made a mad rush for the
platform. One of the officers was seized and just then a pistol
exploded in the crowded room. The direction of the rush was imme-
diately changed toward the doors and windows, a number of the dele-
gates jumping through the latter to the ground, a distance of about
fifteen feet. This ended the exciting events of the day.

The next morning the "chivalry," or southern element of the
party, the wing presided over by McDougal, met at Musical Hall, while
the McGowan, or Tammany faction, representing the northern ele-
ment, met in Carpenter's building. The officers of the chivalry wing-
tendered their resignations and Major Hook was elected president
and H. P. Barber, William A. Mannerly, A. W. Taliafero, and J. G.
Downey were elected \ace-presidents. The other convention sent a
message asking that a committee on conference be appointed in order
to endeavor to settle the ditferenees. As the language of the com-
munication was considered offensive, it was withdrawn for the pur-
pose of modifying the phraseology. A second note was afterward
sent in, but as it was quite similar to the first, it met with a flat
rejection. The convention then nominated candidates for congress
and for clerk of the supreme court; passed resolutions favoring the
construction of the Atlantic and Pacific /Railroad under the auspices
of congress, and endorsing the Nebraska Bill, etc. It also elected a
state central committee and levied an assessment of five dollars on
each delegate, to pay for the damage done to church building.

The McGowan wing met at 9 :30 on the morning of the 19th, that
gentleman continuing to act as chairman. They appointed a committee
of seven to invite the McDougal convention to attend their session
and also empowered the committee to heal the difficulties. When the
convention re-assembled the committee reported that they had sent
a communication to the McDougal convention, but that the proposition
embraced in it had been rejected. The communication sent was as
follows :

"John McDougal, Esq., Chairman of Democratic delegates con-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 83

vened at Musical Hall: Sir — The undersigned have been this morn-
ing constituted a committee, with full powers, by and on behalf of the
Democratic state convention at Carpenter's Hall, for a conference
with our fellow Democrats at Musical Hall, for the purpose of harmon-
izing and uniting the Democrats of California. You will be pleased
to announce this to your body; and any communication may be ad-
dressed to the chairman of this committee, at Jones' hotel."

The report was accepted and the committee was discharged. The
couvention then proceeded to nominate a ticket entirely different
from that nominated by the McDougal convention. It also adopted
a series of resolutions alluding to the heterogeneous condition of the
party in the state, and to the differences of the convention in this
city. They urged the people of the state to accept their ticket as most
likely to effect conciliation. They also appointed a state central com-
mittee and took up a collection of four hundred dollars to reimburse
the Baptist church for the damage done to it, a committee having
reported that the injury to the building would amount to that sum.
Several of the nominees withdrew from the ticket after the convention
adjourned, and the Tammany wing, after the election, ascribed its
defeat to the withdrawal of Milton S. Latham, who afterwards became
governor, from the congressional ticket.

The time had arrived when a new party was to spring up and
enter the field of politics and later to attain a dominating influence
in the state. The first mass meeting of Republicans in California
was held in Sacramento, April 19, 1856. E. B. Crocker was the leader
of the new party in Sacramento county, and opened the meeting with
an address that was listened to attentively. George C. Bates was
introduced and attempted to make a speech, but so much noise and
confusion ensued in a disturbance raised by Democrats and Americans
that his voice could not be heard. Henry S. Foote, who had been
governor of Mississippi, begged the turbulent crowd to desist from
disturbing the meeting and allow it to proceed, but no attention was
paid to his protest. When the Republican speakers again attempted
to proceed, the crowd made a rush for the stand, overturned it and
broke the meeting up.

April 30. 1856, the first state convention of the Republicans was
held in the Congregational Church in this city. E. B. Crocker pre-
sided as temporary chairman. Only thirteen counties were represented
in the convention and of the one hundred and twenty-five delegates
composing it, sixty-five were from Sacramento and San Francisco.
Resolutions were adopted opposing the further extension of slave ter-
ritory and of slave power; welcoming honest and industrious im-
migrants; deprecating all attempts to prejudice immigrants against
our free institutions; favoring the speedy construction of a trans-
continental railroad bv aid from congress; favoring the speedy set-

84 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

tlement of land titles in this state; and the election of onlj' bona fide
permanent settlers to office.

A public discussion was announced to take place early in May
in Sacramento, between George C. Bates, Eepublican, and J. C. Za-
briskie. Democrat, but when the time appointed arrived, no location
could be procured, on account of the anticipated disturbance. The
meeting was therefore postponed until the evening of the 10th of
that month, and when the time arrived the disturbance commenced.
Rotten eggs were thrown and firecrackers were exploded to create
a turmoil, but the police made several arrests and restored order.
Outsiders took possession of the stand after the meeting closed and
a resolution was adopted declaring "that the people of this city have
been outraged by the discussion of treasonable doctrines by a public
felon; and that we will not submit to such an outrage in the future."

Looking back at this day one naturally wonders that such intoler-
ance should be shown in a free state, but "history repeats itself,"
and there are many similar instances of narrow-mindedness and in-
tolerance in the world's history, not only in political, but in religious,
scientific and other matters. But for the evolution of new ideas and
doctrines there would be no progress in the world, and today it
would be hard to find one to contradict Galileo's murmured protest,
"but it does move." The doctrines advocated in 1856 have long
ago worked out their own solution, through much bloodshed and de-
vastation and the whole fair domain of our great republic acknowledge
that the destruction of slavery was a blessing to our country.

A few days after the meeting the Sacramento Tribune (Amer-
ican), referring to the meeting, said: "The fact that a public dis-
cussion was permitted to take place in a public street in the heart
of oui' city, in the presence of a large concourse of our citizens,
almost all of whom disapprove the doctrine advocated by the speaker,
and this too, when it is the firm conviction of a large majority of
the ])ersons assembled that the agitation of the slavery question as
the basis of political organization is against the true interest of the
state and nation, speaks volumes in favor of the public morals of
Sacramento." The extract indicates the bitterness of feeling that
had already begim to grow up against the agitation for the abolition
of slavery, or its restriction to limits where it already existed.

THE SPITTOON CONVENTION

A remarkable political clash took place July 25, 1865, at a county
convention held in Sacramento. Through dissention in the Union
party two factions had arisen. Governor Frederick F. Low was a
candidate for the United States senatorship, and was the choice of
one wing of the party, but there was strong opposition to Ms nomina-
tion. The Low and anti-Low delegates in the convention were about
equal in numbers and the convention met in the Assembly Chamber

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 85

of what was tlien the State Capitol, afterwards, and until latelj' de-
molished, the Sacramento county courthouse. The desks which or-
dinarily occupied the chaniher had heen removed, and replaced by
chairs to accommodate the convention of one hundred and six dele-
gates who were exjjected to be present. It was a noticeable fact, that
almost without exception the Low delegates, dubbed the short-hairs,
occupied the seats on the speaker's right hand, while the anti-Lows,
known as the long-hairs, occupied the seats on his left.

As soon as the convention had been called to order, two per-
sons were nominated for temporary secretary, and voted for. The
chairman of the county central committee announced that AV. H.
Barton, the long-hair candidate, had been elected to the position by
a viva-voce vote. At once the convention was a scene of confusion,
and the Low delegates insisted on a count of the vote. As Barton
advanced from the left toward the secretary's table, the delegates
from the right made a rush to the left side of the chamber.

So sudden was the outbreak that it is hard to describe the ter-
rible scene that followed and that has never before or since been wit-
nessed in any political convention in this state. Barton was inter-
eejited 1>.\- his ojaponents before he could reach the secretary's table
and was told that he should not serve in that position. The dele-
gates on the long-hair side of the house hastened to his support,
while the l^ow men presented a solid front to bar his way to the
desk, and instantly the battle was on, the opposing wings joining in
a hand to hand conflict. Weapons for the combatants appeared as
if by magic, and solid hickory canes, which ajipeared to be abundant
on both sides, were vigorously used. It was a reproduction of Don-
nybrook fair and the battle waged hot and furious. Spittoons were
numerous and flew through the air like bombshells. Inkstands sup-
plied the place of cannon balls and the artillery was in full action.
Pistols were drawn and used freely as clubs, but no firearms were
discharged or knives used. The principal weapons of warfare in use
on both sides were the chairs, which had not been furnished with the
idea of their being applied to the heads of the delegates, and which
were not very well adapted for that purpose, but were swimg in the
air by vigorous arms and used with telling effect, being broken over
the heads of the contending parties. In many instances they were
broken u}) in order that the legs might be used as clubs. No Homer
has as yet sung the doughty deeds performed on that occasion, and
the names of the heroes have passed into oblivion. The battle, while
furious, did not last over about five minutes, and when the artillery
fire had ceased, the long-hairs, who had rallied to Barton's support,
had al)andoned the field. Some had jumped through the windows, and
others, who had been badly hurt, were assisted from the scene. The
greater number had passed out into the ante-room and the main hall,

86 HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

leaving the scene of conflict. Thus ended this episode of what has
passed into history as the ' ' Spittoon Convention. ' '

The long-hairs retired in a body after the battle was over, and
organized in another hall, while the short-hairs, as victors, occupied
the battle-field and proceeded with business. Each convention nom-
inated a full local ticket and elected a set of delegates to the state con-
vention. The long-hairs nominated Newton Booth for state senator,
while E. H. Heaton was the nominee of the short-hairs. The shorts
claimed that the trouble in the convention was caused by a partial
ruling by the chairman of the committee in favor of Barton, and by
the determination of the long-hairs to run the convention, regardless
of the rights or wishes of their opponents. The short-hair convention
instructed its nominees for the legislature to vote for Low for United
States senator, but he aftej-wards declined. The breach in the party
was not healed by his withdrawal, however, and the opposition lasted
until August, when the short-hairs gradually transferred their sup-
port to John E. Felton for United States senator. When the state
convention met, however, Cornelius Cole was elected, December 16,
as the agreed candidate of both wings.

Ex-Governor H. S. Foote, referred to in relation to the first Ee-
publican meeting, was well-known on this coast. Born in Virginia
in 1800, he graduated at Washington College in 1819, commenced the
practice of law in 1822, edited a Democratic paper in Alabama, 1824-32,
and resided in Mississippi for a number of years, being elected by the
legislature of that state to the United States senate. He resigned his
senatorshi]) and was elected governor of the state in 1852. In 1854 he
came to (California and joined the Native American party and was its
candidate for United States senator in 1856, being defeated by David
C. Broderick. He returned to Mississippi in 1858 and took an active
part in politics. He represented Tennessee in the Confederate con-
gress. During his life he was engaged in three duels and was wounded
in two of them. One of his daughters became the wife of Senator W.
M. Stewart, and the other two married and reside in California, while
his two sons became practicing lawyers on the Pacific coast. Mr. Foote
possessed considerable ability as a writer. In 1866 he published "The
War of the Eebellion," and "Scylla and Charybdis." In 1871 he |nib-
lished a volume of reminiscences and was also the author of "Texas
and the Texans," published in 1847. He died near Nashville, at his
residence. May 20, 1880.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 87

CHAPTER XIII
COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Sacramento county was formallj^ organized in 1850, when the legis-
lature passed "An act subdividing the state into counties and estab-
lishiug the seats of justice therein," February 18, 1850. Section 17
of that act defined the boundaries of Sacramento coimty as follows:
"Beginning at a point ten miles due nortli of the mouth of the Ameri-
can river, and running thence in an easterly direction to the junction
of the north and south forks of said river; thence up the middle of
the principal channel of the south fork to a point one mile above the
head of Mormon island, so as to include said island in Sacramento
county; thence in a southerly direction to a point on the Cosuranes
river eight miles above the house of William Daylor ; thence due soutli
to Dry creek ; thence down the middle of said creek to its entrance
into the Moquelumne river, or into a large slough in the tule marsh;
thence down the middle of said slough to its junction with the San
Joaquin river; thence down the middle of said river to the mouth of
the Sacramento river, at the head of Suisun bay; thence up the mid-
dle of the Sacramento river to the mouth of Merritt's slough; tlience
up the middle of said slough to its head; thence up the middle of the
Sacramento river to a point due west of the place of beginning, and
then east to the place of beginning. The seat of justice shall be Sacra-
mento City."

In the "History of Sacramento," published in 1853 by Dr. John
I. Morse, who was the earliest historian of the embryo city and county,
he alludes to what was probably the first election held in what was then
known as Sacramento District, as follows: "In the fall of 1848, an
election was held at the fort (Sutter's) for first and second alcaldes,
and resulted in the selection of Frank Bates and John S. Fowler.
Fowler resigned in the spring following, and H. A. Schoolcraft was
elected to fill the vacancy. In the spring of 1849, Brannan, Snyder,
Slater, Hensley, King, Cheever, McCarver, McDougal, Barton- Lee,
Dr. Carpenter, Southard, and Fowler were elected a board of com-
missioners to frame a code of laws for the district. Pursuant to the
wish of this legislating committee, the people convened under a broad-
spreading oak at the foot of I street. The report, which was then of-
ficially submitted and which was duly accepted by the sovereigns as-
sembled, provided the following offices of a jurisdiction extending from
the Coast Range to the Sierra Nevada, and throughout the length of
the Sacramento Valley, to wit: — One alcalde and one sheriff. H. A.
Schoolcraft was then elected alcalde, and A. M. Turner, sheriff. This
constituted the judiciary of Northern California up to the time that
those changes took place in very rapid succession after the immigration
of 1849 began to concentrate at Sacramento."

88 HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

In 1871 a history of Sacramento was published in Crocker's direc-
tory, which was written by D. J. Thomas, and aUudes in part to the
same event, but as will be seen, the list of the legislative committee
differs somewhat, and as to which is correct, there is no means of de-
ciding. Mr. Thomas says:

"The first attempt to establish a civil government under American
ideas of government was made on April 30, 1849, when a mass meeting
of the then residents of Sacramento City and other portions of Sacra-
mento district was held at the Embarcadero to devise a means for the
government of the city and district. At this meeting Henry A. School-
craft presided, Peter Slater was vice-president and James King of
William and E. J. Brooks secretaries. Samuel Brannan explained
the object of the meeting, and it was resolved that a kgislature of
eleven members should be elected, with full powers to enact laws for
the government of the city and district. It was also determined to hold
the election forthwith, and Henry Bates, M. D., M. F. McClellan, Mark
Stewart, Ed. H. Von Pfister and Eugene I. Gillespie were appointed
judges. The vote resulted in the election of John McDougal, Peter
Slater, Barton Lee, John S. Fowler, J. S. Robb, William Pettit, Wm.
M. Carpenter, M. D., Charles D. Southard, M. M. McCarver, James
King of William and Sanmel Brannan, but u])on tlie announcement of
the result, Robb declined to accept, and Henry Cheever was chosen.
The eleven were immediately swoi'n in, and some time afterward adopt-
ed a code that no laws were wanted, and that all the officers necessary
for the district of Sacramento, bounded on the north and west by the
Sacramento river, on the east by the Sierra Nevada s, and on the south
by the Cosumnes river, were one alcalde and one sheriff. They then
submitted the code to the people for adoption or rejection, and asked
them at the same time to vote for officers. The code was adopted.

"Nothing further toward adopting a local government was at-
tempted until after the proclamation by General Riley (the military
governor) was issued at Monterey on June 3rd. In fact, nothing
seemed necessary, if theft was by common consent punished, as the
Times says, 'by giving the offender thirty or forty rawhide lashes,
and then ordering him off, not to return under penalty of death. ' ' '

The proclamation of General Riley called for an election to be
lield August 1, 1849, to elect delegates to a general convention and
for filling necessary offices. A meeting was held on July 5th, and a
committee was appointed to organize the district into precincts, ap-
portion the representation, and nominate the candidates to be voted
for. The committee consisted of R. B. Cornwall C. E. Pickett, Will-
iam M. Carpenter, Samuel Brannan, John McDougal, W. Blackburn,
J. S. Robb, Samuel J. Hensley, Mark Stewart, M. M. McCarver, John
S. Fowler and A. M. Winn.

On the 14th the committee reported, recommending the places for

HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY 89

polls, etc. At the election the vote stood: For delegates to the con-
stitutioual convention: Jacob R. Snyder, 469; John A. Sutter, 468;
John Bidwell, 462; W. E. Shannon, 458; L. W. Hastings, 450; W. S.
Sherwood, 446; M. M. McCarver, 296; Jolm S. Fowler, 289; John Mc-
Dougal, 281 ; Charles E. Pickett, 193 ; W. Blacklnirn, 192 ; E. 0. Crosby,
189 ; R. M. Jones, 179 ; W. Lacey, 123 ; James Qneen, 130.

For local offices : William Stout, Henry E. Robinson, R. B. Corn-
wall, Eugene I. Gillispie, T. L. Chapman, Berryman Jennings, John
P. Rodgers, A. M. Winn, and M. F. McClellan were elected as mem-
bers of the city council without opposition, by an average vote of 424.
James S. Thomas was elected .first magistrate by three hundred ninety-
three votes, against twenty-two for S. S. White and five for J. S.
Fowler. J. C. Zabriskie was elected second magistrate; H. A. School-
craft, recorder, and D. B. Hanner, sheriff.

Under the call for the constitutional convention the district was
entitled to but four delegates, and J. R. Snyder, W. E. Shannon, W.
S. Sherwood and John A. Sutter were certified by General Riley as
elected representatives. Afterwards the representation was increased
to fifteen, and in addition to the original four, eleven others were ap-
pointed, as follows: L. W. Hastings, John Bidwell, John S. Fowler,
M. M. McCarver, John McDougal, E. 0. Crosby, W. Blackburn, James
Queen, R. M. Jones, W. Lacey and C. E. Pickett.

The convention adjourned in October and an election was called
for November 12, 1849, to vote on the constitution, for state officers,
and for representatives in the legislature. At that election the vote
of Sacramento district was declared to be as follows: For the Con-
stitution, 4317 ; against the Constitution, 643 ; for Governor, P. H.
Burnett, 2409 ; J. A. Sutter, 856 ; W. S. Sherwood, 1929 ; Thomas Mc-
Dowell, 87; William M. Stewart, 448.

For State Senators: John Bidwell, 3474; Elisha 0. Crosby, 2610;
Thomas J. Green, 2516; Henry E. Robinson, 2328; Murray Morrison,
2171 ; Gilbert A. Grant, 1687 ; Hardin Biglow, 1407 ; Charles E. Pickett,
905. The first four were declared elected and at the ensuing session
the county boundaries were fixed.

The first Monday of October was fixed in the first election law as
the day for electing state officers and was denominated the general
election. The first Monday in April was designated as the day for
the election of county officers and was called the county election. The
legislature of 1851 repealed the clause fixing the time for the county
election and provided that it should be held at the same time as the
state election, and the time for that election was changed to the first
Wednesday in September, where it remained for a number of years.
Originally, the terms of the county officers commenced on the first
Monday in May, 1850, but the le.gislature of 1851 changed it so that
the term commenced on the first Monday in October following the elec-

90 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

tion. The legislature in 1863 changed it again so that the official terms
commenced on the first Monday in March following the election. The
new constitution, adoj^ted in 1879, fixed the time for all state and
county officers commencing their terms of office on the first Monday
in January.

The first county officers, elected April 1, 1850, to serve until April,
1852, were as follows : County judge, E. J. Willis ; sheritf , Joseph
McKinney ; clerk, Preslej^ Dunlap ; recorder, L. A. Birdsall ; district
attorney, William C. Wallace; county attorney, John H. McKune;
treasurer, William Glaskin; assessor, David W. Thorpe; surveyor, J.
G. Cleal ; coroner, P. F. Ewer ; J. S. Thomas was elected district judge
by the legislature of 1849-50, and he resigned, January 1, 1851. Tod
Robinson was appointed January 2, 1851, and served until the first
part of August, when Ferris Forman, who was secretary of state dur-
ing the administration of John B. Weller, succeeded him on the 14th
of August, and presided one month. Lewis Aldrich became district
judge September 15, 1851. Joseph McKinney, sheriff, was killed near
Brighton, on the evening of August 15, 1850, the day after the Squat-
ter riot, and Ben McCuUoch was elected at a special election to fill
the vacancy, on the first Monday in September. The office of county
attorney was abolished by the legislature of 1851, the duties of the
office being assigned to the district attorney. Wallace resigned in the
meantime, and was succeeded October 18, 1850, by Milton S. Latham,
afterward governor. William Glaskin resigned the office of treasurer,
August 22, 1850, and John W. Peyton was appointed to fill the vacancy.
He in turn resigned November 29, 1850, and Charles H. Swift was ap-
jiointed treasurer and collector by the court of sessions, of which he
was a member.

The court of sessions was composed of the county judge and two
associates and was the court of criminal jurisdiction. The associates
were elected by a convention of justices of the peace, held the first
Mondav in October of each year, except the first convention, which was
held May 20, 1850, when Charles F. Swift and C. C. Sackett were elected
associates. This court filled vacancies in office in the county and at-
tended to the financial affairs of the county in early times. When
Swift was appointed treasurer he was succeeded by James Brown as
an associate, who assumed his duties February 7. 1851, and was suc-
ceeded August 14 by D. D. Bullock.

County officers to serve from October, 1851, to October 5, 1853, were
elected September 3. 1851, as follows: County judge, E. J. Willis;
sheriff, A. D. Patterson; clerk, L. B. Harris; recorder and auditor,
W. S. Long; district attorney, George H. Carter; treasurer, Cyrus
Rowe; assessor, W. A. Selkirk; surveyor, John G. Cleal; coroner.
S. J. May; public administrator, John T. Brown; associate justices,
George Wilson and James B. Gates.

HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 91

A board of supervisors in the several counties to transact the
financial business in their counties was provided for by the legis-
lature of 1852, and a special election was held on June 14 of that
year. John Noyes, Louis Z. Hagen, James S. Meredith, James Mar-
tin, and E. M. Pitcher were elected, Meredith being elected chairman
when the board was organized. At the general election held Septem-
ber, 1852, the following were elected : William McNulty, Luther Cur-
tis, John A. Watson, H. H. Lewis and H. B. Waddilove. Watson was
elected chairman and the board conducted the county business until
May 16, 1853. After that time the court of sessions assumed control
of the civil business of the county.

At the election September 7, 1853, the following county officers
were elected, and served until October, 1855 : County judge, Jolin
Heard; sheriff, D. N. Hunt; clerk, Abner C. Hunter; recorder and
auditor, John L. Craig; district attorney, James H. Hardy; treas-
urer, J. Griswold; assessor, H. J. Bidleman; surveyor, W. L. De-
Witt; coroner, Ephraim Smith; public administrator, James B.
Mitchell.

The legislature passed another act in 1855, relative to boards of
supervisors, and as the sui)reme court had decided that it was con-
templated by the constitution that the business interests of the vari-
ous counties should be managed by the boards, the court of sessions
was not eligible to act, and the counties again elected boards of super-
visors. The first election under this act was held April 2, with the
result that J. L. Howard, L. P. Ormsby and F. S. Munford constituted
the board, which commenced its sessions early in May. In September,
1855, L. R. Bickley, Josiah Johnson and S. E. Caldwell were elected to
the board and Johnson was chosen chairman.

September 5, 1855, county officers were elected as. follows, serv-
ing from October, 1855, to October 1, 1857: County judge, John
Heard; sheriff, W. S. AVliite; clerk, C. H. Bradford; recorder and
auditor, John L. Brown; district attorney, Frank Hereford; treas-
urer, David Maddux; coroner, E. Bell; public administrator, Gordon
Backus; superintendent of common schools, F. W. Hatch (the first
school superintendent elected by the people). Up to the time Mr.
Hatch assumed the office its duties were performed by the county as-
sessor; the board of 1856 was composed of L. E. Beckley, A. Spinks
and Julius Wetzlar, and Beckley was chairman. In 1857 the mem-
bers of the board were Jared Irwin, C. C. Harrington and Frank Hast-
ings, the latter being chairman.

September 2, 1857, the county officers elected were : County judge,
E. Eobinson; sheriff, W. S. Manlove; clerk, J. B. Dayton; recorder
and auditor, Jerome Madden; district attorney, Eobert F. Morrison;
treasurer, Morgan Miller; assessor, E. Black Eyan; surveyor, John
G. Cleal; coroner, J. P. Counts; public administrator, L. E. Beckley;

92 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

school superintendent, N. Slater. The legislature of 1858 passed a law
consolidating- the government of the city and county and increased the
board of supervisors five members, making the president of the board
a separate office. A special election was held in April, at which H.
L. Nichols was elected president and Mark Hopkins, J. A. Carroll,
S. C. Fogus, E. Stockton and W. K. Lindsay the new members. These,
with the old members, met May 8, 1858. In September, 1858, a lioard
was elected, consisting of the following: E. Granger, John Leavitt,
Sylvester Marshall, H. T. Holmes, I. N. Babcock, John B. Taylor, L.

C. Goodman and W. K. Lindsay, and the president was continued
another year. August 4, 1859, B. H. Hereford was elected in place of
Lindsay, resigned.

The members in 1859 were : President, William Shattuck ; mem-
bers, E. Granger, John Leavitt, E. L. Eobertson, A. Henley, I. N.
Babcock, A. M. Green, L. C. Goodman and Larkin Lamb. S. Marshall
served until October 11, when he was succeeded by Mr. Eobertson.
Thomas Letson was clerk, being the first elected under the consolida-
tion act. October V2. 1859, Thomas Hunt was elected, vice Goodman,
resigned.

County officers elected Se])tember, 1859, and serving until October,
1861, were: County judge, Roliert Robertson; sheritf, Sylvester Mar-
shall; clerk and recorder, Jerome Madden; district attorney, Cornelius
Cole; treasurer, C. L. Bird; assessor, E. B. Evan; surveyor, J. G.
Cleal; coroner, D. Murray; public administrator, Jared Irwin; school
superintendent, F. W. Hatch; clerk of board and auditor, Thomas Let-
son. Leu Harris was elected county warden in 1861, but the office was
abolished. The l)oard in 1860 was composed of ?]. Granger, Thomas
Hansbrow, P. H. Eussell, A. Henlej^ J. S. Woods, A. M. Green, S.
Waterman and Larkin Lamb. Shattuck, the president, was continued.
The members of the l)oard in 1861 were: President, William Shattuck,
E. Granger, Thomas Hansbrow, P. H. Eussell, S. Hite, J. S. Woods,
Jacob Dickerson, S. Waterman and John Hall.

September 4, 1861, the election for county officers resulted as fol-
lows: County .judge, Eo1)ert C. Clark; sheriff, Benjamin N. Bugby;
clerk and recorder, Jared Irwin; district attorney, W. W. Upton;
treasurer, C. L. Bird; assessor, E. B. Eyan; surveyor, G. W. Colby;
coroner, J. W. Eeeves; jniblic administrator, F. McComber; school
superintendent, F. W. Hatch; clerk of board and auditor, Josiah
Howell. Bird absconded and James C. McDonough was ajipointed
treasurer by the board. The board in 1862 was composed of E. Gran-
ger, N. L. Drew, Thomas Eoss, S. Hite, J. L. Graves, Jacob Dickerson,

D. L. Williams and J. Hall, with Shattuck as president. They served
until March 7, 1864. In 1863 the legislature divided the city and counts-
government and reduced the board of supervisors for the county to
five membei-s. The new organization took place in the spring and the

HISTOBY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY i);{

following composed the board: A. C. Bidwell, Thomas Ross, Joseph
Hull, H. A. Thompson and Dwight Hollister, Ross being chairman.

At the election of September 2, 1863, the following county officers
were elected to serve until March, 1866: County judge, R. C. Clark;
sheriff, James McClatchy; clerk and recorder, A. C. Bidwell; dis-
trict attorney, M. M. Estee; treasurer, F. S. Lardner; assessor P. R.
Beckley; surveyor, G. W. Colby; coroner, J. W. Reeves; public ad-
ministrator, J. E. Miller; school superintendent, Sparrow Smith; clerk
of the board of supervisors and auditor, Josiah Howell. At the gen-
eral election in September, 186.3, the members of the board elected were
as follows: D. W. Clark, Thomas Ross, Joseph Hull, H. A. Thomp-
son and Dwight Hollister. Thompson failed to qualify and on No-
vember 16 Jesse Couch was elected in his place. This board was elect-
ed to serve two vears and took their seats the first Mondav in October,
1863.

An election was held September 6, 1865, and county officers
elected as follows to serve from March 5, 1866, to March 5, 1868:
County judge, Robert C. Clark; sheriff, James Lansing; clerk and
recorder, E. D. Shirland ; district attorney, James C. Goods ; treasurer,
Ezra Woolson; assessor, E. Black Ryan; surveyor, A. G. Winn;
coroner, Joseph A. Conboie; public administrator, Findley R. Dray;
school superintendent, F. W. Hatch; clerk of board and auditor,
W. A. Anderson; members of the board: D. W. Clark, M. McManus,
Joseph Hull, Jesse Couch, and William Beckman; Hull was chairman.

An election was held September 4, 1867, and the following ]iersons
were elected to the county offices, serving from March, 1868, to March,
1870 :— sheriff, Edward F. White (contested by Hugh M. LaRue) ;
clerk. W. B. C. Brown; district attorney, James C. Goods; treasurer,
A. Spinks; assessor, F. R. Dray; surveyor, John Doherty; coroner, J.
P. Counts; public administrator, William Shattuck; school superin-
tendent, Augustus Trafton; clerk of board and auditor, W. A. Mc-
Williams ; board : John Domingos, C. H. Ross, Benjamin Bailey, James
S. Meredith and William Beckman; Meredith was president. These
members were elected for two years, and under the provision of the
statute which was in force at the time of their election, their terms
would have ex]:>ired in October, 1869, but the legislature of 1867-68
extended the term of the members from the Third, Fourth and Fifth
districts (Bailey, Meredith, and Beckman) to 1871, and they ser\ed
four years. Judge Clark was successively re-elected each time until
the county judgeship was abolished in 1879 by the new constitution.

At the election September 1, 1869, the following county officers
were elected, and served until March, 1872: — sheriff, J. S. Wood;
clerk, W. B. C. Brown; treasurer, Alfred Spinks; recorder and ex-
officio auditor, W. A. McWilliams; assessor, F. R. Dray; district
attorney, John K. Alexander ; surveyor, A. G. Winn ; coroner, J. P.

94 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

Counts ; school superintendent, Augustus Trafton ; public adminis-
trator, William Shattuck; supervisors: — John Domingos, James H.
Groth, Benjamin Bailey, James S. Meredith and William Beckman.

At the general election of September 6, 1871, the officers elected
were as follows, to serve until March, 1874: — sheritf, Mike Bryte;
clerk, Lauren Upson; treasurer, John Bellmer; recorder and auditor,
Jesse A. Stewart ; assessor, F. E. Dray ; district attorney, Henry
Starr; surveyor, John Prentice; coroner, J. W. Wilson; school
superintendent, S. H. Jackman ; public administrator, N. Q. Feldheim ;
board of supervisors: — John Domingos, James H. Groth, James S.
Meredith, S. B. Moore and J. W. Sims. September 2, 3873, Daniel
Brown, J. J. Bauer, L. Elkus and H. 0. Seymour were elected.

At the same election the following were elected county officers : —
sheriff, Hiigh LaEue; collector of taxes, Joseph W. Houston; clerk,
Ham C. Harrison; treasurer, John Bellmer; district attorney, Charles
T. Jones; recorder, Matthew darken; auditor, Jesse A. Stewart;
public administrator, H. S. Beals; superintendent of schools, George
H. Kelly; surveyor, Ed. Murray; coroner, J. P. Counts; commissioner
of liighways, H. D. Johnson. The supervisors who served in 1874-75
were: James S. Meredith, S. B. Moore, Daniel Brown, J. V. Sims,
H. 0. Seymour, L. Elkus and J. A. Mason, the legislature having
increased the number of districts to seven.

The officers elected in September, 1877, were as follows : — sheriff,
M. M. Drew; clerk, Thomas H. Berkey; treasurer, D. E. Callahan;
auditor, W. E. Gerber; district attorney, George A. Blanchard;
superintendent of schools, F. L. Landes; public administrator, Troy
Dye; surveyor, John Prentice; coroner, A. J. Vermilya. The super-
visors serving from October, 1877, to October, 1878, were : S. B. Moore,
J. W. Wilson, J. J. Bauer, P. E. Beckley, Samuel Blair, Daniel Brown,
and Edward Christy. In 1878-79, Benjamin Bailev served in place
of S. B. Moore.

The county officers elected in September, 1879, were: — sheriff,
Adolph Heilbron; clerk, Thomas H. Berkey; assessor, Joseph W.
Houston; auditor, William E. Gerber; treasurer, Ezra Woolson;
public administrator, George F. Bronner; district attorney, Henry L.
Buckley; superintendent of schools, Charles E. Bishop; coroner, A.
J. Vermilya; surveyor, James C. Pierson. Supervisors, 1880-81: — J.
W. Wilson, Benjamin Bailey, P. E. Beckley, Edward Christy, Stephen
W. Butler, Samuel Blair and John F. Dreman.

The legislature of 1882 changed the time of elections to November,
to correspond with the election of president of the United States. In
November of that year the officers elected were : sheriff, A. H. Estill ;
clerk, C. M. Coglan; assessor, John T. Griffitts; treasurer, A. S. Green-
law; district attorney, John T. Carey; auditor and recorder, W. E.
Gerber; public administrator, George F. Bronner; superintendent of

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 95

schools, Charles E. Bishop; coroner, J. Frank Clark; surveyor, J. C.
Pierson ; supervisors : J. F. Dreman, J. W. Wilson, Samuel Blair, S. W.
Butler, Edward Christy, P. R. Beckley and Benjamin Bailey. '

At the election on November 4, 1884, the county officers were elected
as follows : sheriff, J. W. Wilson ; clerk, W. B. Hamilton ; auditor and
recorder, J. Henry Miller; district attorney, Henry L. Buckley; treas-
urer, George E. Kuchler; public administrator, F. H. Russell; coroner,
J. Frank Clark ; surveyor, J. C. Pierson ; supervisors : B. U. Steinman,
George O. Bates, George C. McMullen, S. J. Jackson and L. H. Fassett.
The number of districts had been changed from seven to five.

The following were elected November 2, 1886: County clerk, W.
B. Hamilton; sheriff, M. M. Drew; assessor, A. L. Frost; treasurer,
John L. Huntoon; district attorney, Elwood Bruner; auditor and re-
corder, J. H. Miller; superintendent of schools, Benjamin F. Howard;
public administrator, S. B. Smith; coroner, J. Frank Clark; surveyor,
J. C. Pierson; supervisors: H. C. Ross and F. F. Tebbets. Steinman,
Bates and McMullen held over. During the year Miller resigned as
auditor and recorder, and Frank T. Johnson was elected to succeed
him. Mr. Howard made a most efficient superintendent of schools; so
much so indeed that he was re-elected term after term and served in
that capacity for twenty years, during which time he lifted the schools
to a high degree of excellence, making them the peer of any in the state.

November 6, 1888, the following were elected: sheriff, George C.
McMullen; clerk, W. B. Hamilton; auditor and recorder, Frank T. John-
son; district attorney, Elwood Bruner; treasurer, John L. Himtoon;
public administrator, G. W. Harlow ; coroner, J. Frank Clark ; surveyor,
J. C. Boyd ; supervisors : Andrew Black and George 0. Bates. Erskine
Greer, H. C. Ross and F. F. Tebbets held over.

In 1890 the officers elected were : sheriff and tax collector, Thomas
W. O'Neil; clerk, W. B. Hamilton; treasurer, Edward Lyon; auditor
and recorder, F. T. Johnson; district attorney, Frank D. Ryan; assessor,
R. D. Irvine; coroner, George H. Clark; public administrator, George
F. Bronner ; surveyor, A. M. Winn ; supervisors : M. Miller, George 0.
Bates; Andrew Black, Erskine Greer and Thomas Jenkins. In 1892
the supervisors were J. M. Morrison, J. W. Todd, M. Miller, William
Curtis and Thomas Jenkins.

County officers in 1894 were as follows: sheriff and tax collector,
Frank T. Jolmson; clerk, W. B. Hamilton; treasurer, E. Lyon; auditor
and recorder, R. T. Cohn; district attorney, Frank D. Ryan; assessor,
Thomas H. Berkey ; coroner, George H. Clark ; public administrator, W.
B. Miller ; surveyor, J. C. Boyd ; supervisors : John F. Dreman, J. W.
Todd, J. M. Morrison, William Curtis and Thomas Jenkins. In 1896 the
board was : J. F. Dreman, J. M. Morrison, William McLaughlin, Thomas
Jenkins and William Curtis. Treasurer Lyon died during his term of
office, and A. S. Greenlaw, his deputy, was elected by the supervisors

96 HISTOBY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

to fill the vacancy. Public Administrator Miller also died during his
term.

In 1898 the officers elected were: sheriff, Frank T. Johnson; clerk,
W. B. Hamilton; license and tax collector, B. N. Bugbey; treasurer,
A. S. Greenlaw; auditor and recorder, R. T. Cohn; district attorney,

C. W. Baker; assessor, T. H. Berkey; coroner, Q. C. McMullen; public
administrator, S. B. Smith; surveyor, J. C. Boyd; supervisors: Dugald
Gillis, William McLaughlin, J. M. Morrison, William Curtis and Thomas
Jenkins. In 1900 the board was : D. Gillis, William McLaughlin, M. J.
Dillman, Morris Brooke and Thomas Jenkins.

The legislature had previously separated the offices of sheriff and
tax collector, and Bugbey took advantage of the fact that the convention
had neglected to nominate a tax collector. He announced himself as
a candidate for the office, and as Johnson neglected to announce himself,
Bugbey was elected. Sheriff Johnson died during his term and the
supervisors ai)pointed David Reese to fill the vacancy.

In 1902 the officers elected were: clerk, W. B. Hamilton; sheriff,
David Reese; license and tax collector, Charles E. Trainor; treasurer,
A. S. Greenlaw ; auditor, L. P. Williams ; recorder, R. T. Cohn ; district
attorney, A. M. Seymour; assessor, T. H. Berkey; coroner, W. F.
Gormley; public administrator, S. B. Smith; surveyor, J. C. Boyd;
supervisors : E. A. Meister, William McLaughlin, M. J. Dillman, Morris
Brooke and T. Jenkins. In 1904 the board was : C. W. McKillip, James
H. Donnelly, H. K. Johnson, E. A. Meister and Gillis Doty.

Treasurer Greenlaw died during his incumbency, and D. W. Car-
michael was elected by the supervisors to fill the vacancy. Mr. (^ar-
michael appointed M. J. Curtis as his depiity, the legislature having
provided for a deputy at the i)revious session.

The officers elected for 1906 were as follows : clerk, W. B. Hamilton ;
sheriff, D. Reese ; license and tax collector, Charles E. Trainor ; district
attorney, E. S. Wachorst ; coroner, W. F. Gormley; public administrator,

D. McDougall; superintendent of schools, Mrs. Minnie R. O'Neil; sur-
veyor, C. M. Phinney; recorder, C. A. Root; supervisors: Howard K.
Johnson, David Ahern, Charles W. McKillip, J. H. Donnelly and L.
C. Thisby. In 1908 the board was : Robert Callahan, J. H. Donnelly,
L. C. Thisby, C. W. McKillip and Da\'id Ahern.

Sheriff Reese died during his term of office, and the board of su))er-
visors elected his son, Edward E. Reese, to fill the unexjiircl tenii.
Assessor Berkey also died and the suiiervisors elected E. J. Kay, liis
deputy, to the position. Mr. Kay had l)&en Berkey 's right hand man-
for several years, and was thoroughly comjietent to fill the ]iosition,
being well accpiainted witli tlie values of i-eal estate and ])erson;il
property.

The officers elected for 1910 were: clerk, W. B. Hamilton; sheriff,
David Ahern; license and tax collector, Charles E. Trainor; auditor,

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY <J7

L. P. Williams; recorder, C. A. Root; assessor, Ed. J. Kay; super-
intendent of schools, Mrs. Minnie R. O'Neil; treasurer, M. J. Curtis;
district attorney, E. S. Wachliorst; coroner, W. F. Gormley; i)ul)lic
administrator, D. McDougall; surveyor, P"'rank C'. Miller; supervisors:
J. H. Donnelly, Charles H. McKillip, Robert E. Callahan, James P.
Kelly and Thomas Jenkins.

County Clerk Hamilton died in the spring of 1911, and th(! board
of supervisors elected Ed. F. Pfund, who had for many years been his
deputy and was thoroughly conversant with the affairs of the office,
to fill out the unexpired term. The apjjointment of Mr. Pfund gave
universal satisfaction, both to the bar and the people, as his perennial
courtesy and painstaking performance of his duties had gained liim
a host of friends.

No man in the county was more universally liked and respected
than "Billy" Hamilton, as he was always called. Genial and affable,
he was the friend of all, and all were his friends. As was once said
of him, "Billy Hamilton is the same man the week after election
that he was a week before he was elected." An ardent hunter and
fisherman, he had a fund of sporting and other anecdotes, and was
so happy in his methods as a raconteur that the most astounding ex-
periences issuing from his lips took on the appearance of verity. His
death was mourned by a host of friends. It was said of him that he
never forgot a face, and could call every resident of the county by
name, — a most valuable accomplishment for a politician. Peace to
his manes. "AVe ne'er shall look upon his like again."

CHAPTER XIY
CITY OFFICERS

A list of the officers of the city of Sacramento from 1849 follows :

1849 — A. M. Winn, mayor; the alcalde was recorder; N. C. Cun-
ningham, marshal; William Glaskin, city clerk and auditor; J. A. Tutt,
assessor; S. C. Hastings, treasurer; B. Brown, collector; Murray Mor-
rison, city attorney; R. J. Watson, harbormaster.

1850 — Hardin Biglow, mayor (died in office) ; Horace Smith,
mayor (to fill vacancy) ; B. F. Washington, recorder; N. C. Cunning-
ham, marshal ; J. B. Mitchell, city clerk and auditor ; J. W. Woodland,
assessor; Barton Lee, treasurer; E. B. Pratt, collector; J. Neely John-
son, city attorney; George W. Hammersley, harbormaster.

Hardin Biglow, the mayor, was severely wounded in the Squatter
riot and died in San Francisco of cholera ])efore recovering from his
wounds. Horace Smith was elected to succeed him. J. W. Woodland,
the assessor, was also killed in the Squatter riot, but his place does

98 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

not seem to have been filled, the elections at that time being for only
one year.

1851 — James R. Hardenbergh, mayor; W. H. McGrew, recorder;
W. S. White, marshal; L. Curtis, clerk and auditor; Samuel McKee,
assessor; W. E. MeCracken, treasurer; W. S. White, collector; J.
Neely Johnson, city attorney; John Eequa, harbormaster.

1852 — C. I. Hutchinson, mayor; W. H. McGrew, recorder; David
McDowell, marshal; Wasliington Meeks, city clerk and auditor; Wil-
liam Lewis, assessor; E. Chenery, treasurer; D. McDowell, collector;
John G. Ayer, city attorney; John Eequa, harbormaster; W. A. Sel-
kirk, superintendent of schools.

1853 — J. E. Hardenbergh, mayor; N. Greene Curtis, recorder;
W. S. White, marshal ; John A. Fowler, city clerk and auditor ; Samuel
T. Clymer, assessor; C. J. Torbert, treasurer; W. S. White, collector;
L. Landus, Jr., city attorney; Gordon Backus, harbormaster; PI. J.
Bidleman, superintendent of schools.

1854 — E. P. Johnson, mayor; N. Greene Curtis, recorder; W. S.
White, marshal ; T. A. Thomas, city clerk and auditor ; E. C. Winehell,
assessor; W. E. Chamberlain, treasurer; N. A. H. Ball, collector;
W. Cyrus Wallace, city attorney; Frank Harney, harbormaster; H. W.
Harkness, superintendent of schools.

1855 — James Lawrence English, mayor; N. Greene Curtis, re-
corder ; James W. Haines, marshal ; W. E. Chamberlain, city clerk and
auditor; Preseott Eobinson, assessor; John C. Barr, treasurer; J. T.
Knox, collector; Horace Smith, city attorney; James W. Haines, har-
bormaster; Frank Tukey, superintendent of schools (resigned), F. W.
Hatch (to fill vacancy).

1856— B. B. Eedding, mayor; W. W. Price, recorder; Thomas Mc-
Alpin, marshal; John F. Madden, city clerk and auditor; W. C. Felch,
assessor; W. M. Brainerd, treasurer; John H. Houseman, collector;
Henry Starr, city attorney; George C. Haswell, harbormaster; F. W.
Hatch, superintendent of schools.

1857 — J. P. Dyer, mayor; Presley Dunlap, recorder; James Lan-
sing, marshal; John F. Madden, city clerk and auditor; Alex. Mont-
gomery, assessor; James H. Sullivan, treasurer; John H. Houseman,
collector ; George E. Moore, city attorney ; George C. Haswell, harbor-
master; J. G. Lawton, superintendent of schools.

1858 — H. L. Nichols, president of the board, justice of the peace,
police .iudge ; J. P. Hardy, marshal ; J. B. Dayton, city clerk and
auditor; E. B. Eyan, assessor; Morgan Miller, treasurer; W. T. Man-
love, collector; E. F. Morrison, city attorney; Daniel H. Whepley,
harbormaster; G. L. Simmons, superintendent of schools.

1859 — W. Shattuck, president of the board, justice of the peace,
police judge; J. J. Watson, marshal; J. B. Dayton, city clerk and
auditor ; E. B. Eyan, assessor ; Morg. Miller, treasurer ; W. S. Manlove,

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 99

collector; R. F. Morrison, city attornej^; G. L. Simmons, superintendent
of schools. From 1858 to 1862 the city and county were consolidated
and managed by a board of supervisors, one of which was president
of the board. During this period the three city justices of the peace
were, in rotation of a week each, police judge.

1860 — W. Shattuck, i^resident of the board; justice of the peace,
police judge; J. J. Watson, marshal; Thomas Letson, city clerk and
auditor; E. B. Ryan, assessor; C. L. Bird, treasurer; Sylvester Mar-
shall, collector; Cornelius Cole, city attorney; F. W. Hatch, superin-
tendent of schools.

1861 — W. Shattuck, president of the board, justice of the peace,
police judge; J. J. Watson, marshal; Thomas Letson, city clerk and
auditor; E. B. Ryan, assessor; C. L. Bird, treasurer; Sylvester Mar-
shall, collector; Cornelius Cole, city attorney; G. Taylor, superintend-
ent of schools.

1862— W. Shattuck, president of the board; Thomas W. Gilmer,
police judge; J. J. Watson, marshal; Josiah Howell, city clerk and
auditor; E. B. Ryan, assessor; C. L. Bird, treasurer; James McDonald,
treasurer (appointed to fill vacancy) ; B. N. Bugbey, collector; Samuel
Smith, collector (appointed to fill vacancy) ; W. W. Upton, city
attorney; G. Taylor, superintendent of schools.

The city government was changed April 25, 1863; the new board
met and held its first session May 1, 1863, and after that the city
was governed by three trustees until January 8, 1894, the first trustee
being the president of the board and mayor ; the second trustee street
commissioner, and the third trustee superintendent of the waterworks.

1863— C. H. Swift, first trustee and mayor; H. T. Holmes, second
trustee; Josiah Johnson, third trustee; S. S. Holl, police judge; J. T.
Clark, chief of police (removed October 7, 1863, and D. H. Lowry
appointed) ; Benjamin Peart, city auditor and clerk; James E. Smith,
assessor; W. E. Chamberlain, treasurer; James E. Smith, collector;

E. H. Heacock, city attorney; W. H. Hill, superintendent of schools.

1865- C. H. Swift, first trustee and mayor; S. D. Smith, second
trustee; Josiah Johnson, third trustee; S. S. Holl, police judge; F. T.
Burke, chief of police; C. C. Jenks, city auditor and clerk; John C.
Halley, assessor; Harvey Coswell, treasurer; D. A. DeMerritt, col-
lector; E. H. Heacock, city attorney; S. C. Hall, harbormaster; W. H.
Hill, superintendent of schools.

1866— C. H. Swift, first trustee and mayor; S. D. Smith, second
trustee; Josiah Johnson, third trustee; L. H. Foote, police judge;

F. T. Burke, chief of police; C. C. Jenks, city auditor and clerk; John
C. Halley, assessor; Harvey Caswell, treasurer; D. A. DeMerritt,
collector; E. H. Heacock, city attorney; N. A. Kidder, harbor master;
W. H. Hill, superintendent of schools.

1867— C. H. Swift, first trustee and mayor ; S. D. Smith, second

100 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

trustee; David Kendall, third trustee; L. H. Foote, police judge; F. T.
Burke, chief of police ; John McClintock, city auditor and clerk ; E. R.
Hamilton, assessor; W. E. Chamberlain, treasurer; D. A. DeMerritt.
collector; M. C. Tilden, city attorney; W. H. Hill, superintendent of
schools.

1868 — C. H. Swift, first trustee and mayor; John Rider, second
trustee; David Kendall, third trustee; L. H. Foote, police judge; B.
W. Martz, chief of police; John McClintock, city auditor and clerk;
E. R. Hamilton, assessor ; W. E. Chamberlain, treasurer ; D. A. DeMer-
ritt, collector; M. C. Tilden, city attorney; W. H. Hill, superintendent
of schools.

1809 — C. 11. Swift, first trustee and mayor; John Rider, second
trustee; David Kendall, third trustee (died in office); L. H. Foote,
police judge; B. W. Martz, chief of police; John McClintock, city
auditor and clerk; W. T. Crowell, assessor; W. E. Chamberlain, treas-
urer; A. Leonard, collector; S. S. Holl, city attorney; W. H. Hill,
superintendent of schools.

1870 — C. H. Swift, first trustee and mayor; John Rider, second
trustee; James McCleery, third trustee; A. Henley, police judge;
George Smith, chief of police ; John McClintock, city auditor and clerk ;
W. T. Crowell, assessor; W. E. Chamberlain, treasurer; A. Leonard,
collector; J. K. Alexander, city attorney; W. H. Hill, superintendent
of schools.

1871 — C. H. Swift, first trustee and mayor; John Rider, second
trustee; James McCleery, third trustee; A. Henley, police judge;
George Smith, chief of police ; John McClintock, city auditor and clerk ;
S. S. Greenwood, assessor; W. E. Chamberlain, treasurer; H. Mont-
fort, collector; Charles T. Jones, city attorney; W. H. Hill, superiu'
tendent of schools.

1872 — Christopher Green, first trustee and mayor; John Rider,
second trustee; James McCleery, third trustee; T. W. Gilmer, police
judge; Matt Karcher, chief of police; E. M. Stevens, chief of police;
John McClintock, city auditor and clerk; S. S. Greenwood, assessor;
W. E. Chamberlain, treasurer; H. Montfort, collector; M. C. Tilden,
city attorney; S. C. Denson, superintendent of schools.

1873 — Christopher Green, first trustee and mayor; John Rider,
second trustee; Horace Adams, third trustee; T. W. Gilmer, police
judge; Matt Karcher, chief of police; E. M. Stevens, chief of police;
John McClintock, city auditor and clerk; Fred A. Shepherd, assessor;
W. T. Crowell, collector; Samuel Poorman, treasurer; M. C. Tilden,
city attorney; S. C. Denson, superintendent of schools.

1874 — Christopher Green, first trustee and mayor; W. F. Knox,
second trustee; Horace Adams, third trustee; W. R. Cantwell, police
judge; Matt Karcher, chief of police; E. M. Stevens, chief of police;
John McClintock, city auditor and clerk ; Fred A. Shepherd, assessor ;

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 101

W. T. Crowell, collector; Samuel Poorman, treasurer; W. R. Hinkson,
city attorney; Add C. Hinkson, superintendent of schools.

1875 — Christopher Green, first trustee and mayor; W. F. Knox,
second trustee; James McCleary, third trustee; M. S. Horan, police
judge ; E. M. Stevens, chief of police ; P. L. Hickman, city auditor and
clerk; Fred A. Shepherd, assessor; W. T. Crowell, collector; Samuel
Poorman, treasurer; W. A. Anderson, city attorney; A. C. Hinkson,
superintendent of schools.

1876 — Christopher Green, first trustee and mayor ; W. F. Knox,
second trustee; James McCleery, third trustee; M. S. Horan, police
judge; E. M. Stevens, chief of police; P. L. Hickman, city auditor
and clerk; Fred A. Shepherd, assessor; W. T. Crowell, collector; J. N.
Porter, treasurer; W. A. Anderson, city attorney; A. C. Hinkson.
superintendent of schools.

1877 — Christopher Green, first trustee and mayor; W. F. Knox,
second trustee ; James McCleery, third trustee ; Thomas Conger, police
judge; E. M. Stevens, chief of police; E. H. McKee, city auditor and
clerk; Fred A. Shepherd, assessor; G. A. Putnam, collector; J. N.
Porter, treasurer; W. A. Anderson, city attorney; A. C. Hinkson,
superintendent of schools.

1878 — Jabez Turner, first trustee and mayor; W. F. Knox, second
trustee; James McCleery, third trustee; Thomas Conger, police judge;
E. M. Stevens, chief of police; E. H. McKee, city auditor and clerk;
Fred A. Shepherd, assessor; G. A. Putnam, collector; J. N. Porter,
treasurer ; H. L. Buckley, city attorney ; A. C. Hinkson, superintendent
of schools.

1879 — Jabez Turner, first trustee and mayor; W. F. Knox, second
trustee; Josiah Johnson, third trustee; W. A. Henry, police judge;
E. M. Stevens, chief of police; E. H. McKee, city auditor and clerk;
Fred A. Shepherd, assessor; George A. Putnam, collector; J. N.
Porter, treasurer; H. L. Buckley, city attorney; F. L. Landes, super-
intendent of schools.

1880 — Jabez Turner, first trustee and mayor; Jerome C. Davis, sec-
ond trustee; Josiah Johnson, third trustee; W. A. Henry, police
judge; Matt Karcher, chief of police; E. H. McKee, city auditor and
clerk; Fred A. Shepherd, assessor; George A. Putnam, collector; W.
E. Chamberlain, treasurer; W. A. Anderson, city attorney; F. L.
Landes, superintendent of schools.

1881 — John Q. Brown, first trustee and mayor; Jerome C. Davis,
second trustee (died October 5, 1881, before expiration of his term) ;
Josiah Johnson, third trustee; W. A. Henry, police judge; Matt
Karcher, chief of police; E. H. McKee, city auditor and clerk; Fred
A. Shepherd, assessor; George A. Putnam, collector; W. E. Chamber-
lain, treasurer; W. A. Anderson, city attorney; F. L. Landes, super-
intendent of schools.

1882 — John Q. Brown, first trustee and mayor ; John Ryan, second

102 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

trustee; William Guteuberger, third trustee; W. A. Henry, police
judge; M. Karcher, chief of police; E. H. McKee, city auditor and
clerk; Fred A. Shepherd, assessor; George A. Putnam, collector; W.
E. Chamberlain, treasurer; W. A. Anderson, city attorney; J. R.
Lane, superintendent of schools.

1883 — John Q. Brown, first trustee and mayor ; John Ryan, second
trustee; William Guteuberger, third trustee; W. A. Henry, police
judge; Matt Karcher, chief of police; E. H. McKee, city auditor and
clerk; Fred A. Shepherd, assessor; George A. Putnam, collector; W.
A. Anderson, city attorney; J. R. Lane, superintendent of schools.

1884 — John Q. Brown, first trustee and mayor; H. B. Neilson,
second trustee; William Guteuberger, third trustee; W. A. Henry,
police judge ; Matt Karcher, chief of police ; W. E. Chamberlain, treas-
urer; E. H. McKee, city auditor and clerk; Fred A. Shepherd, as-
sessor; George A. Putnam, collector; W. A. Anderson, city attorney;
J. R. Lane, superintendent of schools.

1885 — John Q. Brown, first trustee and mayor; William Guteu-
berger, third trustee; E. H. McKee, city auditor and clerk; J. J.
Buckley, assessor; George A. Putnam, collector; W. A. Henry, police
judge; O. C. Jackson, chief of police; J. N. Porter, treasurer; W. A.
Anderson, city attorney ; J. R. Lane, superintendent of schools.

1886 — John Q. Brown, first trustee and mayor; H. B. Neilson,
second trustee; W. R. Jones, third trustee; E. H. McKee, city auditor
and clerk ; J. J. Buckley, assessor ; J. N. Porter, treasurer ; George A.
Putnam, collector; W. A. Henry, police judge; H. F. Dillman, chief of
police; E. C. Hart, city attorney; M. R! Beard, superintendent of
schools.

1887 — Eugene J. Gregory, first trustee and mayor; John Ryan,
second trustee; W. R. Jones, third trustee; E. H. McKee, city auditor
and clerk ; J. J. Buckley, assessor ; George A. Putnam, collector ; Henry
L. Buckley, police judge; H. F. Dillman, chief of police; E. C. Hart,
city attorney; W. E. Gerber, treasurer; M. R. Beard, superintendent
of schools.

1888 — Eugene J. Gregory, first trustee and mayor; John Ryan,
second trustee; H. C. Wolf, third trustee; E. H. McKee, city auditor
and clerk; J. J. Buckley, assessor; George A. Putnam, collector;
Henry L. Buckley, police judge; Timothy Lee, chief of police; E. C.
Hart, city attorney; M. R. Beard, superintendent of schools.

1889 — E]ugene J. Gregory, first trustee and mayor; William Mc-
Laughlin, second trustee; H. C. Wolf, third trustee; E. H. McKee, city
auditor and clerk; J. J. Buckley, assessor; George A. Putnam, col-
lector; Henry L. Buckley, police judge; Timothy Lee, chief of police;
W. S. Church, city attorney; W. E. Gerber, treasurer; M. R. Beard,
superintendent of schools.

1890 — W. D. Comstock, first trustee and mayor; William Mc-
Laughlin, second trustee; H. C. Wolf, third trustee; E. H. McKee,

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 103

city auditor; George A. Putnam, collector; J. J. Buckley, assessor;
W. E. Gerber, treasurer; Henry L. Buckley, police judge; Warren F.
Drew, chief of jDolice; E. C. Hart, city attorney; Albert Hart, superin-
tendent of schools.

1891 — W. D. Comstock, first trustee and mayor; William Mc-
Laughlin, second trustee; Alonzo Conklin, third trustee; J. D. Young,
auditor; George A. Putnam, collector; J. J. Buckley, assessor; W. E.
Gerber, treasurer; R. 0. Cravens, police judge; W. F. Drew, chief
of police; E. C. Hart, city attorney; Albert Hart, superintendent of
schools.

1892 — W. D. Comstock, first trustee and mayor; E. H. Green,
second trustee; Alonzo Conklin, third trustee; J. D. Young, auditor;
George A. Putnam, collector; W. E. Gerber, treasurer; J. J. Buckley,
assessor; R. 0." Cravens, police jiidge; John B. Rodgers, chief of
police; E. C. Hart, city attorney; Albert Hart, superintendent of
schools.

1893 — B. U. Steinman, first trustee and mayor; E. H. Green,
second trustee; Alonzo Conklin, third trustee; J. D. Young, auditor;
George A. Putnam, collector; W. E. Gerber, treasurer; J. J. Buckley,
assessor; H. L. Buckley, police judge; John B. Rodgers, chief of
police; C. N. Post, city attorney; Albert Hart, superintendent of
schools.

A new charter for the city went into force January 8, 1894, by
vt^hich the number of trustees was increased from three to nine, the
mayor being elected separate from the board, and the trustees being
(>leeied to severally represent the nine wards of the city

1894-95 — B. U. Steinman, mayor; W. D. Lawton, president of
board of trustees; trustees: H. Wachhorst, Robert E. Kent, J. G.
Davis, W. H. Bragg, L. Tozer, J. H. Devine, C. E. Leonard, T. J. Pen-
nish, W. D. Lawton; J. D. Young, auditor and assessor; J. N. Porter,
treasurer; E. H. McKee, collector; J. Frank Brown, city attorney;
M. M. Drew, chief of police; 0. S. Flint, city clerk; Albert Hart, super-
intendent of schools.

1896-97— C. H. Hubbard, mayor; C. E. Leonard, president of board
of trustees; trustees: H. Wachhorst, R. E. Kent, James G. Davis,
D. ^Y. McKay, L. Tozer, J. H. Devine, C. E. Leonard, T. J. Pennish,
C. H. Beutley; J. D. Young, auditor and assessor; D. W. Carmichael,
treasurer; C. C. Robertson, collector; J. Frank Brown, city attorney;
M. J. Desmond, city clerk; O. W. Erlewine, superintendent of schools.

1898-1899— Mayor, William Land; collector, C. C. Robertson;
treasurer, A. L. Frost; auditor and assessor, J. D. Young; trustees —
F. F. Tebbets, R. E. Kent, C. W. Paine, D. McKay, Philip Douglas,
J. H. Devine; M. J. Desmond, clerk; chief of police, Thomas D-n^er
(died in office, 1899) ; superintendent of schools, 0. W. Erlewine. Mr.
Erlewine has been regularly re-elected to the office and was the in-

104 HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

cumbeut until his resignation this spring under the present com-
missioners.

1900-1901— Mayor, George H. Clark; collector, C. C. Eobertson;
auditor and assessor, J. D. Young; trustees — F. F. Tebbets, E. E.
Kent, C. W. Paine, John C. Ing, Jr., Philip Douglas, James H. Devine,
Henry P. Brown, M. E. Beard, J. H. Dolan; clerk, M. J. Desmond;
chief of police, John C. Sullivan!

1902-1903— Mayor, George H. Clark; collector, C. C. Eobertson;
auditor and assessor, J. D. Young; treasurer, C. M. Prodger;
trustees— F. F. Tebbets, E. E. Kent, J. G. Black, John C. Ing, Jr.,
S. H. Farley, J. H. Devine, Albert Elkus, M. E. Beard, E. J. Carra-
gher; clerk, M. J. Desmond.

1904-1905— Mayor, W. J. Hassett; collector, J. E. Govan; auditor
and assessor, W. D. Comstock; treasurer, C. M. Prodger; trustees —
F. F. Tebbets (died 1904, George F. Eider appointed), Ed. McEwen,
J. G. Black, John C. Ing, Jr., S. H. Farley, E. E. Callahan, Albert
Elkus, James Popert, E. J. Carragher; clerk, M. J. Desmond; chief
of police, Martin Coffey.

1906-1907— Mayor," M. E. Beard; collector, M. H. Spaulding;
auditor and assessor, Fred W. Carey; treasurer, C. M. Prodger;
trustees— George H. Eider, Ed. McEwen (died 1906, J. II. Schacht
appointed), John C. Ing, Jr., M. J. Burke, E. E. Callahan, Harry A.
Nauman, James Popert, E. J. Carragher; clerk, M. J. Desmond; chief
of police, John Denny.

1908-1909— Mayor, Clinton L. White; collector, L. H. Spaulding;
auditor and assessor, Fred M. Carey; treasurer, C. M. Prodger;
trustees— Geo. F. Eider, J. H. Schacht, J. T. Murphy, E. P. Hammond,
M. J. Burke, B. F. Catlett, Harry A. Nauman, 0. G. Hopkins, E. J.
Carragher; clerk, M. J. Desmond; chief of police, John E. Sullivan.

1910-1911— Mayor, M. E. Beard; collector, L. H. Spaulding;
fiuditor and assessor, Fred W. Carey (died in 1910, Edward Haynes
appointed) ; treasurer, C. M. Prodger (died in 1911, W. C. Hendricks
appointed); city attorney, J. V. Hart; trustees — George Eider, C. H.
Schacht, J. T. Murphy, E. P. Hammond, M. J. Burke, B. F. Catlett,
H. Hoffman (died in 1911, C. W. Mier appointed), 0. G. Hopkins
and E. J. Carragher ; clerk, M. J. Desmond ; superintendent of streets,
E. C. Irvine ; chief of police, William M. Ahern.

1912-1913 — Mayor, M. E. Beard; auditor and assessor, Edward
Haynes; collector, L. H. Spaulding; city attorney, J. V. Hart; treas-
urer, D. McDougall; trustees — Geo. Eider, John W. Crone, J. B.
Hicks, E. P. Hammond, M. J. Burke, G. C. Simmons, C. W. Mier,
.James Mangan and E. J. Carragher; clerk, M. J. Desmond; superin-
tendent of streets, E. C. Irvine; chief of police, William M. Ahern.
William Johnson was appointed by the commissioners chief of police
during the summer of 1913.

K STRKET IN THK '(12 FLOOI

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 105

CHAPTER XV
FLOODS

The flood of 1850, heretofore mentioned as among the early dis-
asters to the city, was only one of a series that devastated the city
and county in later years, and some of which were far more wide-
spread and destructive. Seasons of heavy rainfall have brought down
from the mountains that bound the great Sacramento Valley on both
sides torrents of rushing waters that have spread out over the low
lands along the Sacramento river or overtopped the levees constructed
to preserve the alluvial lands and swept away the banks erected as
barriers, reminding man that his puny efforts to restrain and control
the forces of nature were futile at such times. To-day the banks of
the river in most places are crowned with substantial levees, many
of them eighty to one hundred feet across the top, and holding back
successfully the angry waters that surge and beat against them. But
in many places these huge mounds have ]iroved ineffectual in time of
great floods, and the reclamation of the river lands and islands has
been a costly and discouraging undertaking. The labor of months and
years, costing many thousands of dollars, has often been swept away
in a day and the fertile fields, often covered with a valuable crop,
inundated and covered with several feet of sand and detritus.

Long before the white man settled in the valley did these floods
occur at different periods. The Indian mounds of past generations,
the remains of which frequently appear on the low lands along the
rivers, bear mute testimony to the rise of the raging waters and the
necessity forced upon the aborigines of providing for the safety of
themselves and their families from the devouring waters. Their tra-
ditions give an account of various floods before the white man invaded
the valley. The great flood of 1805 forms an epoch in their history
from which they still reckon in speaking of subsequent events. That
of 1S25-6 was often referred to by the older members of the tribes who
camped along the river in the early days of the state. The floods of
1846-7 and of 1850 were familiar to the earliest pioneers and still
remain vividly in the memories of the survivors of those days. The
former did but little damage, for the reason that there was very little
property subject to damage in those days. The latter, which has been
referred to earlier in this volume, did an immense am.ount of damage
to the infant city and occasioned much suffering.

On the evening of January 8, 1850, a terrible southeast storm set
in, swelling the Sacramento river to such an extent that the slough
on I street, between Second and Third, began to run over. Before
night on Wednesday the water was running under the zinc building
of Montgomery and Warbass, and torrents were rushing down Second
and Third streets. On Thursday morning the whole city for a mile
from the Embarcadero, except some high places on Tenth street, was

106 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

under water. The next day buildings were carried from their founda-
tions. Very few buildings escaped having their lower floors flooded.
The damage was immense, great quantities of provisions and goods
being swept away. Dr. John F. Morse, in writing of the flood, says,
among other things:

"At 10 o'clock on the evening of the flood, when the back waters
of the sloughs and the waters that came in from the banks of the Sac-
ramento were rushing into the city, tearing up sidewalks and dislodg-
ing merchandise, sweeping away tents and upsetting houses, — at this
very time, and throughout the inundation, the city seemed almost
mad with boisterous frolic, with the most irresistible disposition to
revel m all the drinking, talking, swearing, dancing and shouting that
were ever patronized by the wine-drinking son of Jupiter and Semele.

"All the shipping and two-story houses became crowded with the
unwebbed bipeds of hilarity and merriment. When hundreds of
thousands of dollars in merchandise were being wrested from the
merchants and traders by the sweeping currents that were running
through the streets, in some places with irresistible force, no one
could have found among the losers of the property a single dejected
face or dejected spirit. There were no gloomy consultations, no long-
ing looks cast upon the absconding produce, no animosities excited.
A man who would purposely roll into the water that he might share
in the general laugh that was entailed upon one who had accidentally
fallen in, would not wet the sole of his foot to save a barrel of pork
that was being carried off by the current.

"In the early part of this great flood small boats would bring
almost any price on sale or hire. A common-sized whale boat would
bring $30 an hour, and sell readily for $1,000; but in an incredibly
short time every particle of lumber that would answer for boat or
raft making was appropriated, and in a few days the people were
enabled to emigrate to the adjacent hills, where settlements were made,
similar to the Hoboken of 1853. It would be impossible to estimate
the amount of property destroyed by this terrible visitation." Team-
sters lost from forty to fifty yoke of oxen and a large number of
horses and mules were drowned, write the historians. On the 18th
the water so far subsided as to leave some dry spots on the Embar-
cadero and most of Second street. The great number of cattle drowned
created much discomfort to the people.

Another flood occurred in March, in which the city was saved
from a second disaster by the energetic etforts of Hardin Biglow,
who had built a levee across the sloughs at his own expense. This was
the inception of the present system of levees which so effectually
protects our city at present and renders it practically impregnable
to the waters.

Two years later came another devastating flood. For some days
prior to Simday, March 7, 1852, both the Sacramento and American

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 107

rivers had taken on a threatening form, heavy rains in the foot-hills
and a very heavy snowfall in the mountains having filled them bank
full. About 1 a. m. Sunday the citizens were aroused from their
slumbers by the clanging of the alarm bell, warning them of impending
danger. Excited men soon thronged the streets, anxious to ascertain
the cause. On investigation it was found that, owing to a sudden rise
in the American river, the levee near its mouth had given way and
the water was rushing fast through a breach in its crumbling banks.
The mayor, chief engineer and many citizens were soon on the ground,
making every effort to avert disaster. Timber, hay, sacks of barley,
dirt and other things were cast into the breach, but to no avail. The
earth on which the timbers of the sluice gate rested became loosened
and about two o'clock the bridge gave way and was swept away by the
current into the slough. Brooks' store house, on the levee, followed
the bridge and as the opening widened the rush of waters increased
and trees, houses, scows and tents were swept into the vortex and
coming with tremendous force against the bridge across Third street
snapped it like a pipe stem and it too was swept away, cutting off all
communication with the peninsula and imperiling the safety of many
residents.

Boats were quickly procured and after great exertions all were
rescued and conveyed to a place of safety. By four o'clock the water
had reached the level of I street and was running up Second to J.
The mayor issued a proclamation, calling on all to helj^ stem the tide.
A temjiorary embankment stopped the water at I street, but it soon
found its way around to Seventh and submerged I street again. The
embankment was continued to Seventh, where the ground was higher,
but soon the water was pouring into J street through the slough. The
Sacramento river at this time was two feet lower than in the flood
of 1850, and lacked twenty inches of overtopping the levee, and the
sloughs below the city contained less water than at the former flood.
But the American was higher and was rising, while the Sacramento
was stationary. The levee was crumbling and the water was trickling
through and it appeared certain that the levee must ^deld to the
rising waters. Much property had been destroyed already. Cattle,
pigs and poultry floated by on the flood and the water stood from a
few inches to two feet deep on the lower floors on I street. By six
o'clock the city was almost wholly submerged, the buildings rising like
so many pyramids on the desert over the face of the waters, only
Sutter's Fort and the "Ridge" being above the flood.

By this time the American river, which had overflowed its lianks,
had crept insidiously around the city and a torrent rushed in on the
opposite side. The east levee had broken and the water poured vio-
lently in. The stores on K street were nearly all flooded several inches
deep, but J street, being higher, was still above the flood. The entire
city was wild with excitement. Every one who possessed goods or fur

108 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

niture was removing them to higher apartments or gTound. Houses
on the outskirts were almost deserted and the residents took refuge
on scows. Carpenters became boat builders, but there was not half
enough material or labor on hand to supply the demand. The water
still rose and by Monday morning scarcely a foot of land was visible
in the city. Then a cold southeast wind rose and the water receded
four inches by noon, but still stood two feet deep on K street and also
covered J, but not so deeply. From the commencement communication
with the outside had been cut off. Stages for Auburn and Nevada
leaving on the 6th were forced to turn back. On the following day
one was wrecked while trying to cross a slough at Sutter's race, and
the horses were saved with difficulty. Little's bridge at Coloma, the
bridge at Uniontown, the two covered bridges at Salmon Falls and all
the bridges on the south and middle forks of the American river were
carried away. Many horses and mules were drowned while trying
to swim a deep slough near Brighton. Most of the losses sustained,
however, were in the suburbs, or outside of the city. The merchants
had, as a rule, profited by their experience in 1850, and removed their
goods in time to escape damage.

But with all the damage and danger, not to say discomfort, the
elastic spirits of the pioneers were undaunted. Many enjoyable ex-
periences were not lacking and pleasure excursions took place over the
submerged country outside. The Sacramento Daily Union of March 9,
1852, had the following to say :

"J street, up town, proved to be the center of attraction yester-
day, and presented many enlivening and animating scenes through
the day. Its bosom was covered with unique water craft of every con-
ceivable description, and the ingenuity displayed in their construction
was only equalled by the tact and skill with which they were managed.
The greater number consisted of skiffs, and these constituted a regular
line of ferry boats, plying from block to block. There were also
freight boats laden with hay, barley, provisions, etc.. which articles
were transported in accordance with established rates. Then came
the fancy sail boat of the man of leisure, shooting swiftly past the
meaner craft and stretching upward for more sea room! We noticed
one of these far out on the prairie, close-hauled to a southeast wind
and a])parently bound for Stockton. Among other craft, the omnibus
boat was conspicuous. They are made by fastening two or three empty
boxes together. These appeared to be the favorite conveyance of 'the
people,' although scarcely a trip was successfully performed, owing
to the ])ilots getting off their course, throwing their craft on their
ends, and spilling their passengers overboard. Then, by hoisting
signals of distress, these attracted the attention of some other catama-
ran, which bore down to their relief. One cute chap built a big box
with wheels attached, and after getting 'steam up' threaded his way
through K street. Besides these, there were metallic boats, dug-outs,

HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 109

hide boats and canoes — all filled with people, out on business or pleas-
ure— all, too, joyous and happy. It was, in fact, an aquatic carnival,
and the town was afloat on a frolic."

The high land at the head of I street, near the plaza, was densely
crowded during the flood with human beings, wagons, tents, cattle and
horses. As in the flood of 1850, the dwellers near the sloughs on the
south side of the city and all those on lower ground escaped from the
water and made this their camping ground. On J street a number
of Mexicans and boys improved the opportunity given them by free
water, of washing the surface ground in front of the different banking
houses, in some instances with considerable success. The wild animals
also sought refuge and fifteen rabbits were caught at one time in a
dwelling near the slough, which proved a treacherous refuge for them.
A large number of rats took up their abode on a big stump on Sixth
street, where they were soon slaughtered by men and boys, much to
the disgust of a crowd of Chinamen who deprecated the destruction
of so much good food.

The flood lasted four days before it began to subside. Before this,
those who had urged the necessity of a substantial levee on the river
front to keep out the flood waters had been largely in the minority
and their arguments had been scornfully rejected and they often sub-
jected to public denunciation for advocating the incurring of such
a needless expense. It was claimed and believed by many that even
if a levee were built, the water would percolate through and undermine
it. But public opinion now underwent a radical change. The last
flood had demonstrated the fact that it might become an annual occur-
rence and men thought it wise to heed the warning, and arrange-
ments were made at once to construct more efficient levees.

December 19, 1852, a break occurred in the levee on the American
river, between Stuart's and the "Eidge." By the morning following
the business portion of the city was submerged to a depth of several
inches, but the water soon subsided, but little damage being done by it.

The city was again completely flooded January 1, 1853. The
water of the Sacramento river was twenty-two feet above low-water
mark and two feet higher than during the great flood of 1850. Boats
were again in great demand and New Year's calls were made in them.
But the trade, although profitable, was brief, many of the boats being
stranded by the quickly-receding waters. While but little damage
was done in the city, the county and those adjoining it suffered con-
siderable destruction of property and the incidental discomfort and
suffering. The city now passed an ordinance for the improvement of
the river levees.

For nearly eight years after this Sacramento escaped the floods
and her prosperity increased. She was fast growing into a large
city. She had passed through fire and flood and all the privations and
misfortunes incident to the histoiy of a pioneer city, and far more than

110 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

the average of them. Her people had met all these discouragements
and misfortunes with a smiling face and an undaunted courage. It
seemed as if they had surmounted all their trials and their career
henceforth was to be one of continued prosperity. But the end was
not yet. Fate had not yet shot all her arrows of misfortune and one
more, the most destructive of all, was yet to strike the city.

The precursor of the great misfortune was a flood March 28, 1861,
when the American again rose, quickly reaching a point twenty feet
above low water mark. It swept away the wing-dam at Eabel's tan-
nery and damaged the levee at that point greatly. The water from
Sutter's lake overflowed its bounds and cut a channel tln-ough First
street to the American river, Swift's bridge, and Lisle 's bridge across
the American were both destroyed. Norris' bridge became impassa-
ble and ferries had to be established, there being no other means of
crossing the American between Folsom and Sacramento.

About 8 o'clock on the morning of December 9, 1861, the an-
nouncement was made that the levee on the eastern boundary of the
city had given way and that the waters of the American river were
sweeping down on the devoted city with uncontrollable fury. On they
came with irresistible force. Well was it for Sacramento in that hour
of trial that the break in the levee had not occurred in the night. Had
it done so the loss of life would have been heavy. As it was, a number
of persons were drowned and the property destroyed far exceeded in
quantity and value that of any preceding flood. Bursting through the
eastern levee, the water poured down along Thirty-first street till it
struck the R street levee, which was swept away like an eggshell by
the tremendous force of the current and the city was at the mercy of
the flood. The other levees surrounding the city instead of proving a
protection, now constituted a source of danirer and damage, confining
the waters and forcing them to rise to a liigher level than they might
otherwise have attained.

Within an hour of the first alai'm many persons on Eleventh
street found themselves surrounded by water and unable to escape.
Their appeals for help were heartrending. Stock owners began to
bestir themselves, and great numbers of horses, mules, cattle, hogs and
sheep were driven across the Yolo bridge and down to Sutterville. By
eleven o'clock the water had risen to such a depth at Fifth and Sixth
streets that many houses were overturned and set afloat. Women
and children clung to the doors and windows of these and cried out for
assistance. There was a scarcity of boats, and for a time many per-
sons seemed doomed to perish inevitably. Many families were driven
from their homes in the vicinity of the Pavilion, on the corner of
Sixth and M streets. The upper doors of the Pavilion being locked,
they were burst open and many sought refuge in the building.

The Howard Benevolent Society made its headquarters here, and.
having four boats at its disposal, furnished soup and blankets to all

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 111

who came through the day. In turn M, L, K and J streets were
flooded by the water backing up from the R street levee. Inmates of
one-story buildings deserted them while those living in two-story
structures carried their bedding and furniture upstairs. Cellars were
flooded and large quantities of merchandise of all descriptions de-
stroyed. Boats and all imaginable kinds of craft were employed in
saving life and property, and moved back and forth laden with pas-
sengers and various things. Many were upset, and many a foot pas-
senger plunged into a deep hole, suffering temporary submergement.

Finally, the chain gang cut a hole through the R street levee and
the water poured out of it in a torrent. The force of the water here
drew many houses afloat in the vicinity — some of them two-story
edifices — into the break, where they were torn to pieces. It was im-
possible to obtain any data as to the number of persons who perished.
A teamster was drowned near Sutter's Fort. A man was drowned
with his team at the corner of Ninth and M streets through falling into
an open cistern, and a child in the wagon was saved with great diffi-
culty. It was generally supposed that many women and children were
drowned in one-stor.v houses, being unable to escape to the roofs of
their dwellings.

The only dry portions of the city were I street, the river front, the
R street levee and Poverty Eidge, now known as Sutter terrace. I
street and the levee were crowded with stock taken there for refuge.
Many boats were employed in the evening in taking passengers to and
from the hotels and restaurants for meals, the fires in many of which
had lieeu extinguished by the waters.

The steamer Swallow, coming from Marysville, was dashed
against the bridge jiier, injuring two of her passengers. The train for
Folsom went only to Poverty Ridge, passengers being carried thence
in boats for half a mile and put on another train and carried to their
destination. In many places the railroad track was destroyed. Early
in the day the city gauge showed the water had risen to twenty-one
feet, and at sundown it had risen six to eight inches higher, while
the Yolo side was but slightly overflowed. During the night several
houses floated down the river and female voices within them were
heard shrieking vainly for help. Two sections of Lisle 's bridge across
the American were swept away, but lodged against the Sacramento
bridge and were secured there.

The next morning was clear and the waters had sulisided several
feet, leaving L street a bed of mud and those north of it likewise.
Planks of sidewalks and crossings, stranded boats and scows used the
day before, were scattered all around. The city south of L street was
still under water, having first felt the fury of the flood, and here boats
were still in use. The area was crowded with capsized houses, mer-
chandise and other things, and the loss of property here was great.

Many acts of humanity were performed, but avarice and callous-

112 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ness were also found during these perils. Some men borrowed boats
on the levee under pretense of rescuing sufferers, but instead turned
them into a means of extortion. One man had placed his wife on the
roof of a house about to fall, and was obliged to pay one of these
scoundrels $75 to carry her to a place of safety. A man standing in-
side of a house, up to his chin in water, begged to be taken into a boat.
The boatman demanded $15 fare, but he said he had no money. ' ' Then
I'll leave you to drown," was the unfeeling reply. Fortunately an-
other boat came along and rescued him. Such things were common,
and near midnight two women were saved who had been on the roof
of a house on Eleventh street, near L, for seven hours, unable to find
a boatman who would take them off. The loss of property was esti-
mated at $1,500,000. How many lives were lost will never be known.
By December 11 the water had subsided and traffic was resumed.

Scarcely had this flood passed away, however, than it was suc-
ceeded by another. On December 23, while men were still employed
in building up and strengthening the levee on Burns' slough, the
American river rose again so rapidly that it carried away a portion
of the new embankment and that portion of the city lying south of
Tenth and L streets was inundated the second time to a maximum
depth of about four and a lialf feet. The water soon subsided and the
levees were so far repaired and strengthened that, although the Sac-
ramento river five days later stood twenty-two feet and seven inches
above the low water mark, the highest yet recorded, the city was quite
free from water in its business portion.

The rains still continued and as the lowlands could not clear
themselves of flood water, a still greater calamity hung over the de-
voted city and would have been the climax of disaster had not the
previous floods warned the inhabitants to be prepared for anything.
That there was less loss of life and property is largely due to this
fact, as the flood came suddenly. On Thursday, January 9, 1862, in
consequence of the continued rains and the melting of the snows in
the Sierras, the American river overflowed the levee at Eabel's tan-
nery and speedily covered the entire area lying east of the Thirty-first
street levee, and before ten o'clock that night the water had covered the
lower part of the city a foot deep.

The levee commissioners after the flood of December, 1861, had
established a cam]i of about thirty men in the vicinity of Burns'
slough, imder Charles Farley. The flood of January 9 came on them
without warning, swept away the house and compelled its inmates to
take shelter upon the roof of the barn, which, being banked up by sand
and sediment withstood the flood.

About four o'clock Burns heard their cries and came in a whale
boat with an old sailor, to succor them. Farley, seeing his men pre-
paring to jump into the boat, threatened to shoot the first one who
did so without his orders, telling them that such a move would result

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 113

in the loss of all their lives. As a result, only five men were taken off
at this time and it then being too late to do more, the remaining
twenty-five spent the night on the roof. During the night Mrs. Burns
prepared soup and food for them and in the nioruing the wliale Ijoat
brought them a large milk fan filled with the hot soup. Burns, the old
sailor and S. D. Carkhuff toiled all day and all were safely landed by
night, Farley, the overseer, being the last man to leave the roof.

At daybreak on the lOtli the southern part of the city was under
two and a half feet of water, while the eastern part, north of J street,
was also flooded, and by one o'clock J and K streets were flooded to
Ninth and during the afternoon the flood attained the same height as
the highest rise of December 8, 1861.

The scene in the afternoon was an animated one. Merchants
erected platforms for their goods above the line of supposed danger
and stock owners were driving their horses, mules and cattle to the I
street and Front street levees. Women and children moved to the
upper stories or to the higher streets and hundreds of boats were afloat
on the streets, carrying passengers. Many of them contained people
apparently bent on pleasure excursions. There was much less danger
than on former occasions and fear and anxiety were also less. The
balconies were crowded with spectators and there was plenty of mirth
and hilarity. In the southern and eastern parts of the city, however,
many were forced to leave their homes without knowing where to go.
All the hotels were soon overcrowded and the pavilion again came into
requisition as the headquarters of the Howard Benevolent society,
many persons being lodged and fed there.

The committee of safety had some time previous to this flood
constructed a new levee at Rabel 's tannery, leaving the old one stand-
ing to protect it as a lireakwater, letting the water in gradually to
form a basin of still water and thus protect the new enbankment. A
person cut the old levee without authority and let the current flow
against the new one, and only by the most strenuous exertions and the
liberal use of gimny sacks, was the danger averted. A subsequent
report of the engineers to the state board of swamp land com-
missioners states that at this point the river makes an acute angle to
the northwest, the effect being to throw up a wall of water there, two
feet higher than at any other point in the channel, and the water
flowed over the levee, causing a crevice through which the flood jioured
at the rate of 60,000 cubic feet per second, with a torrent velocity due
to the fall in the river of 3000 feet in seventy-five miles.

During this inundation four deaths from drowning were reported
and the destruction of property was considerable. About three-
quarters of a mile of the Folsom railroad track was washed away.
Many small buildings were carried through the R street levee and
destroyed. One thousand feet of the wall surrounding Agricultural
park, which was twenty feet high and fourteen inches thick, fell to the

114 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

ground. The river rose five inches higher than on any previous
occasion. The fires in the Daily Union office were extinguished,
stop]nng the press while it was running off its weekly edition. The
steamer Gem of the California Navigation company was swept by the
current through the break at Rabel's tannery, and stranded at
Twenty-third and Z streets in a peach orchard, whence she was
launched with much difficulty in the following February. Two dead
bodies were found floating on the American river and two milkmen
on Eighteenth street near R, lost seventy head of milch cows. The
new levee at Rabel's tannery was only saved by using all the raw
hides in the tannery to spread over its weak points.

The legislature was then in session and on January 11th, a resolu-
tion was adopted by the senate, by a vote of 20 to. 13, to adjourn to San
Francisco for the remainder of the session. The resolution was de-
feated in the assembly after a long discussion, by a vote of 40 to 36,
but a further flood appearing, the assembly agreed to the measure
and on January 23, the legislature, with its attaches and furniture,
removed to San Francisco.

Ou January 12, the steamer Defiance went up the river to Patter-
son's, twelve miles above the city and seven miles higher than any steam-
boat had hitherto reached, and for some time after she made daily trips
to that point. On the same day Wilson's bridge over the Cosumnes
was overturned by the flood. From this time on the flood began to
subside and navigation of the streets soon became impossible, the only
means of traversing them being to wade through the mud with its accu-
mulated filth and carcasses of dead animals. The half-drowned and
starving cattle along the rivers gave employment to all the steamboats
and other craft in rescuing them. The flood was equally destructive
throughout the county. At this time the only mining that had been
done was mostly in a primitive way. No levees, except in the case of
the city, had been erected to repel the flood waters, as hydraulic mining
had not yet raised the bed of the river. The water had full sweep over
the valley, almost to the foothills of the Coast Range on one side and
to the rolling lands west of Folsom ou the other. This fact may give
some idea of the innnense volume of water poured into the valley by
the continued rains. As one pioneer expressed himself to the writer:
"We had six weeks' rain in January." An equal amount of rainfall
now, in so limited a time, would do incalculable damage to the dwellers
of the lowlands.

The Daily Union of Monda}', January 13, 1862, has the following:

"Upon Friday night the American river rose sixty feet above low
water mark, and destroyed a large amount of property. The old flour
mill of Stockton and Coover, built some seven or eight years ago, and
the new one built by them last summer in conjunction with Carroll &
Moore of this city, were both carried away, and in their course took

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 115

off the wire suspeusion bridge of Kinsey & Thompson. The new mill
was designed to run nine pair of burrs, and is reported to have cost
between $20,000 and $30,000. A large quantity of wheat therein stored
was also lost. The wire bridge was built in the summer of 1856, and
cost about $18,000. A wooden bridge some ten feet lower had been
previously destroyed. The railroad bridge belonging to the California
Central Railroad Company, some fifteen feet higher than the wire
bridge, and of a single span, is still standing. So far as we have
received information from various parts of the country, we are con-
vinced that the late flood spread over a much greater area of territory
and was far more destructive than any which has occurred since the
county was settled.

"The waters from the American did great injury at Brighton;
those from the Sacramento, a great deal in the townships bordering
on that river, and those from the Sacramento and Mokelumne, pro-
duced a corresponding result in the southern part of the county.
We are informed that families were taken from the tops of houses
in boats, their buildings were carried away, and most of their stock
destroyed. A large amount of stock on the Lower Stockton road has
been lost. Norris' bridge, on the American river, some four miles
from its mouth, which withstood the flood of December 9th, gave way
on Saturday afternoon (January 11th) to the still stronger torrent.
At about half jiast four o'clock two sections of the structure were
carried off, and lodged on the north bank of the river, a short distance
away. There is -now no bridge standing on the American river, that
we are aware of, excepting onlj^ the railroad bridge at Folsora."

While the elements were dealing death and destruction to man-
kind, animals and property, human philanthropy was not idle. Steam-
boats were dispatched daily from San Francisco, laden with cooked
food for the sufferers. An aid society was organized at Folsom, and
a deputation sent to Sacramento to invite the suffering and distressed
to partake of the hospitality of that town. The work of the Howard
Society of Sacramento should never pass into forgetfulness. It will
always live in the memory of those who were its beneficiaries and
should never be forgotten by their children or descendants.

But the troubles of the city from flood were not yet ended.
January 23, 1862, the new levee at Rabel's tannery broke and a crevice
of 150 feet wide was opened, which speedily increased to 800 feet,
flooding the business portion of the city. While it lasted only a short
time, it was followed by the flood of February 24, which poured in
through a break in the same place. The water encroached on the
following day to such an extent that the great railroad scales on
R street, sixty feet in length, had to be removed. The railroad soon
after being repaired, communication with Folsom was once more
established.

The city was by this time aroused to the necessity for better pro-

116 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

tection and the authorities began to take active steps in the matter,
and moved energetically to that end. Between the recession of the
flood and January 1, 1863, more than $200,000 was spent in elevating
the streets and otherwise improving them and in strengthening the
levees. Since that time many hundred thousands of dollars have
been spent in raising and strengthening the levees. After the flood
of 1862 it became evident to the business men of the city that it was
unsafe to depend entirely on the levees. A movement was put on foot
for raising J and K, the principal business streets. It was an arduous
job, but men were found to contract to do the work, and the buildings
were raised, the streets filled in from six to eighteen feet and the
city began to take on a more solid and permanent appearance. The
flood of '62 was the last one to do any damage to the business portion
of the city, and it was not till sixteen years afterwards that the water
invaded the city limits.

On the morning of February 1, 1878, it was reported that a break
had occurred in the levee below the city, near the Lovdal ranch. The
gophers had honeycombed the levee and in a very short time the
crevice, at first about twelve feet wide, had grown much larger and
by the next morning was 300 feet wide and very deep. The roar of
the waters pouring through the break could be heard for a great dis-
tance. The lowlands were soon flooded and the road to the city ceme-
tery was soon covered and impassable. Attention was immediately
turned to closing the openings on the streets passing under the R
street levee, which at that time was the city's only protection on the
south. By nightfall these were rendered secure, but the seepage water
came up as far as Sixth and N streets before the flood subsided.

On February 14 it was found necessary to cut the R street levee
at Eighteenth street, to allow the accumulation of water from Burns'
slough to pass away. On the 20th the river rose to twenty-five feet
ten inches above low water mark and a strong gale forced the flood
up against the levee, endangering it, but the citizens turned out at
the alarm and made it secure. Steps were taken to close the break
at the Lovdal place and by April 10 the city was once more safe.

The last flood of any consecjuence was in 1904, and is known
as the "Edwards break." It occurred on February 26, of that year,
at a place in the levee about three miles below the city. It was said
at the time that it was caused by water seeping through gopher holes
in the levee, and that it was discovered by a Portuguese in the vicinity
just after it had begun to trickle through, and could have been stopped
at the time by stuffing a bale of hay or straw into the hole, but that
the man valued the straw too highly to use it in that way. By night
the crevasse had increased to one hundred and fifty feet wide, and
later it widened to three hundred feet. About fifteen thousand acres
were flooded, the water running down until it emptied into Snodgrass
slough. A number of residents had narrow escapes from drowning.

HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 117

but no lives were loat. Much saud was carried down by the current,
badly damaging a number of farms. So strong was the current that
many attempts to close the break by driving piles and hllmg in were
unsuccessful, and not until some months afterwards, when the river
fell, was it possible to repair the levee. At present the levee below
the city is high and strong, the Southern Pacihc having built one on
which to run the Sacramento Southern railroad traius.

CHAPTER XVI

SACRAMENTO COUNTY SENATORS

Sacramento county lias furnished a long list of legislators to the
history of the state and many of them finished their career begun
in the state legislature by being promoted to high office.

At the first session of the legislature the members represented
Sacramento district, which was the northern part of the state, there
being at that time no county subdivisions. It was provided in the
constitution of 1849 that i;ntil the legislature should divide the state
into counties, and into senatorial and assembly districts, Sacramento
district should be entitled to four senators and nine assemblymen.
The list of the first legislature shows twelve assembhT;nen, but this
was caused by the resignation of three of those originally elected.
Cornwall resigned January 28, 1850, and was succeeded on March 4th,
by Deal. White resigned February 9, 1850, and was succeeded on
March 15th, by Henley. Dickerson's seat was declared vacant De-
cember 18, 1849, and Bigler was seated in his place.

The first legislature made Sacramento county the twelfth sen-
atorial district, April 4, 1850, and pro^dded for its representation
by one senator and three assembhmien. May 1, 1851, the county
was made the eleventh senatorial district, to be represented by two
senators and four assembhmien. There was a reapportionment of the
state, May 18, 1861, and the county was constituted the sixteenth
senatorial district, to be represented by two senators and five assem-
blymen. The Political Code, adopted March 2, 1872, retained this
a]iportionment, but May 16, 1874, the legislature fixed the apiwrtion-
ment at two senators and three assembhmien and renamed the county
the eighteenth senatorial district. March 8, 1883, there was another
reapportionment and the county was changed to be the thirteenth
senatorial district, with one senator. By the act of March 13, 1883,
the first and third wards of the city were made the eighteenth
assembly district, the second and fourth wards the nineteenth assembly
district and the remainder of the county the twentieth district, each
being entitled to one assemblyman.

The senators from the county have been as follows : 1849-50, John
Bidwell, Elisha 0. Crosbv, Thomas J. Green and Henry E. Robinson.

118 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

Bidwell was a man who became prominent in the history of the state.
He was one of the earliest pioneers, arriving here in 1841 by the
overland route, after a journey of six months. He was given charge
of Forts Bodega and Eoss and also of General Sutter's Feather river
property. During the war with Mexico he saw service in the army
and rose to the rank of major. He was the first man to find gold
on the Feather river. Elected from the Sacramento district to the
constitutional convention in 1849, he did not serve as a delegate. He
was a delegate to the Charleston national Democratic convention in
1860, and was elected to congress from the old third district in 1864.
He was defeated by George Gorham for the nomination for governor
in the Eepublican convention of 1867, and Gorham was beaten at the
election by Henry H. Haight. In 1875 Bidwell was nominated for
governor, but was defeated by "William Irwin, the Democratic nominee ;
he was nominated again for governor on the Prohibition ticket in
1890, and on the same ticket for president in 1892. For many years
he made his home at Chico and there he died, April 4, 1900.

Arriving in California in 1848, Elisha 0. Crosby was a member of
the first constitutional convention and lived at Alameda for a number
of years. Green was elected a major-general by the legislature in
1850. He left California a few years afterwards and died in Warren
county, N. C, December 13, 1863. Eobinson, a lawyer by education,
but engaged in mercantile pursuits, arrived in San Francisco in
March, 1849, on the California, the first steamer that ever entered
that port! In his will he left $40,000 to be used by the board of
supervisors of San Francisco for the benefit of the poor of that city.
Robinson was a member of the first council of Sacramento and one
of the early postmasters. He amassed a large fortune in Alameda
county and died at Norwalk, Conn., January 9, 1880.

1851, Henry E. Eobinson; 1852, Henry E. Eobinson and James
H. Ealston. Ralston was for a number of years one of the leading
lawyers in Sacramento, but went to Washoe during the mining excite-
ment in that district and afterwards settled at Austin, Nev. While
prospecting in search of mineral ledges in May, 1864, he lost his way
and perished of starvation after manv days of wandering. An Indian
discovered and buried his body, which was afterwards disinterred and
buried at Austin.

1853, James H. Ealston and A. P. Catlin; 1854, A. P. Catlin and
Gilbert W. Colby. The latter was a pioneer who in the early days ran
a ferry across the Upper Sacramento at Colby's landing. He was
surveyor of Sacramento county two terms, from 1862 to 1866. For
a number of years afterwards he made his hoine at Nord, but later
located at Martinez and became interested in banking. He died in
San Francisco, August 20, 1881. A. P. Catlin was born in New
York and came to California in July, 1849. He was instrumental in

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 119

getting the capital located in Sacramento, was prominent in politics
and as a lawyer. He died on November 5, 1900.

1855, Gr. W. Colby and A. S. Gove. The latter, who was a mer-
chant, returned to Vermont and died there. At the time he was
elected to the senate he was a member of the city council.

1856, A. S. Gove and W. I. Ferguson. The latter was a na-
tive of Illinois and was shot in a duel with George Pen Johnston,
dying in San Francisco from the effect of his wound, September
14, 1858. Ferguson was a lawyer of much ability and an
effective and popular speaker. The nick-name of "Ipse Doodle" was
given to him, for some reason not explained. Ferguson was a man of
great courage and it is stated that when he received the wound that
caused his death, he exclaimed as he fell, "I am a gone community."
His body is interred in the state plat of the Sacramento city cemetery.
Johnston died in San Francisco, March 4, 1884.

1857, W. I. Ferguson and Josiah Johnson. Johnson was at one
time a member of the board of supervisors and afterwards a city
trustee. He died in Sacramento, December 10, 1888.

1858, W. I. Ferguson and Josiah Johnson; 1859, J. M. McDonald
and Dr. Johnson Price. McDonald removed to San Francisco some
years after and became prominent as a capitalist and mining man.
Price was a Kentuckian and was elected at a special election to fill
the vacancy caused by Ferguson's death. He had been an officer dur-
ing the Mexican war and a member of the convention to revise the
constitution of his own state. He came to California in 1849 and
practiced medicine in Sacramento. He was appointed secretarj^ of
state January 10, 1860, by Governor Latham, and held the office
until the expiration of Governor Downey's term. Afterwards he was
a stock broker in San Francisco and died there of consumption, Feb-
ruary 8, 1868.

1860, J. M. McDonald and Robert C. Clark. The latter, a son of
James Clark, an early congressman, supreme judge and governor of
Kentucky, arrived in this state in 1853 and began practice of the law
in Sacramento. He was elected county judge in 1861, and was contin-
uously re-elected to that office until it was abolished by the new con-
stitution in 1879, when he was elected superior judge of this county,
filling that office until his death, which occurred January 27, 1883.

1861, R. C. Clark and E. H. Heacock. Heacock practiced law in
this city for- a number of years, and was city attorney from 1863 to
1867. He moved from here to Santa Cruz and served as county judge
there for a number of years. Later he removed to Santa Barbara
and was appointed superior judge of that county by Governor Per-
kins, to succeed Eugene Faucett, deceased. Faucett will be recol-
lected as the judge who tried Sprague for the killing of Moore. Hea-.
cock represented the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and
Ventura in the state senate for several terms.

120 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

1862, E. H. Heaeock and Dr. A. B. Nixon. Dr. Nixon practiced
medicine in Sacramento for many years and was in charge of the
Railroad hospital here. He was one of the first in the county who
espoused Republican principles. Later he became identified with the
Prohibition movement and ran for mayor in 1884 on the Prohibition
ticket against John Q. Brown. He also ran as a St. John elector in
1884. He died in this city, November 2, 1889.

1863, Dr. A. B. Nixon and Newton Booth. A sketch of the latter
will be found elsewhere.

1864, J. E. Benton and E. H. Heaeock. At the time of his elec-
tion Mr. Benton was a minister at Folsom. An anecdote regarding
him relates that on one occasion he was so shocked at a remark made
by a young rough in Sacramento that he reproved him for his lan-
guage. The young man asked him brusquely who he was, and Mr.
Benton replied, "I am a follower of the meek and lowly Jesus."
"Well," rejoined the offender, "if I was the meek and lowly and
such a looking fellow as you was following me around, I would hit
him on the nose." Benton built the first church erected in Folsom.
Afterward he became postmaster of Oakland, and died there, Feb-
ruary 18, 1888.

1865-66, J. E. Benton and E. H. Heaeock.

1867-68, E. H. Heaeock and N. Greene Curtis. Curtis arrived in
California in May, 1850, and was recorder or police judge of this city
from 1853 to 1855. For many years he practiced law here and was
regarded as the best among the criminal lawyers of the state. Soon
after his arrival in Sacramento he was appointed deputy postmaster
and shortly afterwards Jonathan Tittle, the postmaster, having gone
east on business, left Curtis in charge of the office. While Tittle was
absent, Richard Eads appeared and claimed that he had been ap-
pointed to the office. Curtis refused to surrender the office imtil Eads
presented his commission and filed his bond, and he retained the office
for some months, until Eads had complied with these formalities.
When Eads came in he retained Curtis as his deputy until the latter
was elected recorder. Curtis was a Democrat, and was elected to
the senate three times and the assembly once. He was a regent of
the State University from 1880 to 1883, and was Grand Master of
Masons of California from 1857 to 1860. He died at Sacramento,
July 27, 1897.

1869-70, N. Greene Curtis and A. Comte, Jr. Comte was a lawyer
and afterwards went to San Francisco. He graduated from the
pubUc schools of this city a.nd from Harvard Collesre, and received
his legal training and was admitted to the bar from our local law
offices. He also served in the assembly from Sacramento.

1873-74, James A. Dut¥y and Henry Edgerton. A native of Ver-
mont and a distinguished lawyer, Edgerton served for several terms
as district attorney of Napa county. As such, he conducted the

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 121

prosecution of Edward McGowan for his connection with the killing
of James King of William (the editor of the San Francisco Bulletin),
which led to the forming of the vigilance committee of 1856, and the
purification of San Francisco. He was senator from Napa county in
1860 and 1861, and ran unsuccessfully for congress in 1861 and 1862.
He was also a member of the last constitutional convention and was
the only Republican presidential elector elected in 1880, and was
re-elected in 1884. He died in San Francisco, November 4, 1887.

1875-76, Henry Edgerton and Creed Haymond. Haymond was a
brilliant lawyer, with a national reputation. He came from Virginia
to California in 1852, and locating in Plumas county, practiced law
there for a number of years, removing thence to Sacramento. In
3870 he was appointed one of the commissioners to draft a code of
laws for the state. He was a delegate to three national Republican
conventions and held a prominent position in the law department of
the Central and Southern Pacific railroads at San Francisco until his
death there, January 13, 1893.

1877-78, Creed Ha^anond and N. Greene Curtis.

1880, Grove L. Johnson and William Johnston. In 1849 Johnston
came from Pennsylvania to this state and engaged in mining, but
afterward bought a place near Richland, in this county, where he
passed the rest of his life, dying at his home, November 15, 1905.
He was a member of the senate for two terms and of the assembly
one term. He was master of the State Grange two terms and twice
a delegate to the National Grange, and was Grand Master of Masons
of California. In 1883 he was a member of the state board of equal-
ization by appointment of Governor Perkins, served as a dele-
gate to the national Republican convention in 1880, and in 1886 was
a prominent candidate for the Republican nomination for lieutenant-
governor.

1881, Grove L. Johnson and William Johnston.

1883, Frederick Cox and Joseph Rentier. Routier was born in
France and came to California in 1853. He planted one of the first
orchards near Folsom and settled ten miles from Sacramento, becom-
ing a successful fruit-raiser. In 1877 he was a member of the assem-
bly, and in 1886 he was appointed by Governor Bartlett as a member
of the board of fish commissioners. He died at his home at Routier 's,
February 6, 1898. Frederick Cox came to this state in 1850. He was
president of the State Agricultural Society for several years. With
C. W. Clarke he engaged in raising cattle for many years, on a
large scale.

1885, Frederick Cos and Joseph Routier.

1887, Findley R. Dray. As a boy of seventeen, Mr. Dray came
to California with his father in 1850. He mined and farmed for
several years in different parts of the state, and finally settled here
in 1863, being appointed a deputy by Sheriff James McClatchy. After

122 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

the close of MeClatchy's term Mr. Dray was elected public adminis-
trator, and then assessor, for eight years. Judge Clark then ap-
pointed him a supervisor, to fill out the term of H. 0. Seymour,
deceased. He engaged in real-estate and insurance and later became
connected with the Sacramento Savings Bank. He died in this city,
November 30, 1901.

1889-91, Findley R. Dray.

1893-95, Elijah C. Hart. Judge Hart is well known throughout
the state, and for many years has been a resident of Sacramento.
He was a member of the assembly in 1889-91, served as superior
judge of this county from 1897 until 1906, and was elected in 1907
a justice of the third district court of appeals, which office he has
filled most creditably. Judge Hart possesses a host of friends.

1897-99, Gillis Doty. Mr. Doty was one of the sturdy farmers
of the county, respected by all for his high character and incorrupti-
ble integTity. He was a member of the assembly for the twenty-fifth
and twenty-ninth sessions, and from 1897 to 1902 was a inember of
the auditing board to the conunissioner of public works. In addition
he served two terms as a member of the board of supervisors of this
county. He died at his residence in Elk Grove July 23, 1909.

1901-03, R. T. Devlin. Mr. Devlin was born in this city and
resided here all his life until recently, being a member of the law firm
of Devlin and Devlin ever since its formation many years ago. In
1884 he was appointed a state prison director. In 1885 he was ap-
pointed penology commissioner and continued as a member of the
board of prison directors until 1905, when he was appointed United
States district attorney for the northern district of California, which
office he still holds. He is considered one of the soundest and most
capable lawyers in the state.

1905-07, J. A. McKee. For a generation Mr. McKee has been
a successful practicing physician in this county and resides in this
city, still practicing his profession.

1909-11, Charles B. Bills. Mr. Bills is a successful business man
of this city and is the head of the Pioneer Fruit company.

CHAPTER XVII

SACRAMENTO COUNTY ASSEMBLYMEN

The first assemblymen, members of the legislature of 1849-50,
were IT. C. Cardwell,"P. B. Cornwall, Rev. W. Grove Deal, W. B.
Dickerson, T. J. Henley, E. W. McKinstry, John Bigler, George B.
Tingley, Madison Walthal, T)r. Thomas John "\\'hite, John T. Hughes
and John F. Williams. Sacramento district was entitled at that time
to nine assemblymen, as it comprised all of the northern part of the
state, but Cornwall resigned and was replaced by Deal; White re-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 123

signed and was replaced by Henley, and Bigler took the place of Dick-
erson, whose seat was declared vacant. Cardwell died at Los Angeles,
Jnly 4, 1859.

Cornwall arrived in Sacramento in Augnst, 1848, and was a mem-
ber of the first city council. He, with Sam Brannan, foresaw that a
great city would soon spring up on the Sacramento river at the head
of navigation, so thej' came up from San Francisco to investigate.
Seemingly unimportant events often bring about great changes. Tliey
decided that Sutterville would be the most eligible spot for the city,
on account of the high ground there. Accordingly, they endeavored
to make satisfactory arrangements with L. W. Hastings, who owned
the land there, for going into business. They were unable to do so,
and having on their way up passed two launches loaded with supplies
for the mines, they returned and met them and persuaded them
to go farther up and unload their cargoes on the Sutter Embarcadero
at Sacramento. Through this little circiimstanee their trading ])ost
was established at this place, and soon a small city sprang u\o. Had
Hastings agreed with them, the city would have been located at Sat
terville. Cornwall afterwards went to San Francisco and engaged
in business and died there September 5, 1904. He was a member of
the first constitutional convention and of the board of regents of the
University of California.

Henley was the father of ex-Congressman Barclay Henley, and
was a native of Indiana. In that state he served several tenns in the
assembly, being once speaker. He was congressman from Indiana
three terms, serving with President Lincoln. He arrived in California
in 1849 and engaged in banking in Sacramento. In 1852 he was a
presidential elector; was chosen postmaster in San Francisco in 1853;
appointed superintendent of Indian affairs in 1S54. and defeated for
presidential elector in 1868. He died at his farm in Round valley,
Mendocino county. May 1, 1875.

McKinstry was a native of Michigan, and arrived in California
in March, 1849. He was elected judge of the seventh district, Novem-
ber 2, 1852 ; re-elected September 1, 1858 ; elected judge of the twelfth
district (San Francisco) October 30, 1873, but resigned in the latter
part of 1873, having been elected a justice of the supreme court Oc-
tober 15, 1873. He was re-elected supreme justice September 3, 1S79,
and resigned October 1, 1888. He died at San Jose, November 1, 1901.

Bigler was a Pennsylvanian, and was a journalist and lawyer.
He arrived in Sacramento in 1849, and became an auctioneer and
also a woodchopper. For a time he was speaker of the first assem-
bly; he was elected governor September 3, 1851; re-elected September
7, 1853 ; defeated for that office in 1855. He served as United States
minister to Chile from 1857 to 1861; was defeated for congress in
1863; served as a delegate to the Democratic national conventions of
1864 and 1868; was appointed assessor of internal revenue for this

124 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

district in 1866 and edited the State Capital Reporter from January,
1868, until his death, November 29, 1871. His body was interred in
the City Cemetery.

Tingley was a native of Ohio and was a brilliant lawyer. He
removed to Indiana and there served in the legislature with T. J.
Henley and Vice-President-elect T. A. Hendricks. He was an unsuc-
cessful candidate for the United States senate and was defeated for
congress in 1851. He died at San Francisco, Aug-ust 3, 1862.

White served as speaker till February, 1850, when he resigned
the office and was succeeded by Henley. He was at one time city coun-
cilman, and died at Los Angeles in December, 1861.

Deal, a Methodist minister, was elected to succeed Cornwall
(resigned) and he qualified March 4, 1850. He died in Indiana in
June, 1892.

1851, John Bigler, D. J. Lisle and Dr. Charles Robinson. liisle
built the Twelfth street bridge across the American river. At a
special election he was chosen to till the vacancy caused by the death
of L. Dunlap, who had been elected, but died of cholera before the
meeting of the legislature. He went to San Francisco and died there
February 8, 1855.

Robinson came here from Massachusetts. He was prominently
identified with the squatter element in 1850 and was second in com-
mand of the forces of that party in the riot which took place in
August of that year. He was wounded in the fight and was arrested
on the oath of several citizens that he had been seen to aim deliber-
ately at the mayor, who was shot four times during the fight. He
Avas confined in the prison brig when he was elected to the assembly.
In 1854 he, with S. C. Pomeroy, led one of the parties of free state
men into Kansas, and was prominently connected with the Free State
party in the slavery agitation in that commonwealth. He was elected
governor by the Free State men under the Topeka constitution Jan-
uary 15, 1856, and was indicted in May by the grand jury for treason,
with the other officers who had been elected. Some of them fled from
the territory, but Robinson was arrested and confined for four months.
While in prison his residence was burned in the sacking of Lawrence.
He was elected the first governor of the state after the adoption of
the constitution in 1859, and died at Lawrence, August 17, 1894.

1852, Gilbert W. Colby, Alpheus Kip, G. N. McConaha and Dr.
Joseph C. Tucker. Colby was also senator one term. McConaha was
a lawyer and was drowned by the upsetting of a boat at Seattle,
May 4, 1854. Kip lived on the farm near Brighton where Sheriff
McKinney was killed by Allen, its then owner (1850). The farm was
owned later by John Rooney. Kip left this country many years ago.
Tucker went to live in San Francisco and died in Oakland, Decem-
ber 22, 1891.

1853, J. W. Harrison, J. Neely Johnson, Robert Robinson and

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 125

J. H. Estep. Robinson was afterward county judge, and was for
many years connected with the law department of the Central Pacific
Railroad Company. He was adjutant-general in 1865-66 and died at
San Francisco, September 26, 1894. Estep removed from Sacramento
and died at Lakeport January 11, 1876. Harrison left Sacramento
in the '50s. Johnson was elected district attorney of Sacramento in
1850 and in 1855 he was elected governor on the Know Nothing ticket.
After his term as governor he removed to Nevada, where he served
as a member of the constitutional convention and as supreme justice.
He died from the effects of a sunstroke at Salt Lake Citv, Augiist
31, 1872.

1854, J. M. McBrayer, Dr. F. A. Park, T. R. Davidson and J. W.
Park. F. A. Park was a dentist and at one time was deputy sheriff.
He died at San Francisco, November 13, 1870. The others removed
from Sacramento some years after they served.

1855, John G. Brewton, Philip L." Edwards, H. B. Meredith and
James H. Vineyard. Edwards was a native of Kentucky. He visited
San Francisco with a party of traders in 1836 and returned to the
east. He was admitted to the bar, elected to the Missouri legislature
in 1843, chosen a delegate to the Whig national convention in 1844,
removed to Sacramento in 1850, defeated as the Whig candidate for
congress in 1852, and ran unsuccessfulh' for United States senator
in 1855. He died here May 1, 1869. Vineyard was a member of the
city council at the time of his election to the assembly. He died at
Los Angeles, August 30, 1863. Meredith, a brother of ex-supervisor
James H. Meredith, of Folsom, practiced law while living in Sacra-
mento county. In 1864 he removed to New York, where he carried
on business as a broker, and where he died. Brewton went to San
Francisco and died there.

1856, George H. Cartter, George Cone, George W. Leihy and
Dr. J. W. Pugh. Cone was for many years justice of the peace in
Center township and was an unsuccessful nominee for coimty treasurer
on the Democratic ticket. He was a brother of ex-Railroad Commis-
sioner Cone, and died at Red Bluff, November 12, 1883. Leihy, a
farmer and miner, was murdered by Indians in Arizona November 18,
1866. Cartter was district attorney in 1852 and 1853. He left this
state many years ago and went to Oregon, where he died at Portland
February 24, 1862. Pugh removed from the county many years ago,
and died at Stockton January 24. 1896.

1857, A. P. Catlin, Robert C. Clark, L. W. Farris and John H.
McKune. Catlin and Clark were also senators. A sketch of Judge
McKune will be found elsewhere. Farris was in business here for a
number of years, but removed to another part of the state, and died
at Altaville, Tuolumne county, in April, 1878.

1858, R. D. Ferg-uson, Charles S. Howell, James E. Sheridan and
Moses Stout. For manv vears Ferguson conducted a horsemarket

126 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

here and then went to Nevada and in 1868 was a member of the
legislature of that state. Later he went to Arizona. Sheridan was
a farmer near Georgetown (now known as Franklin) and died on his
farm there, October 12, 1872. Howell was a farmer living near Wal-
nut Grove and was killed by the explosion of the steamboat J. A.
McClelland, near Knights Landing, August 25, 1861. Stout died on
his farm in this county December 20, 1879.

1859, Dr. R. B. Ellis, A. R. Jackson, James E. Sheridan and Dr.
Charles Duncombe. Jackson, a well-known school teacher, died in
San Francisco, August 30, 1876. Ellis practiced medicine here at
the time of his election. He removed to Nevada in 1861 and died at
Carson, that state, January 12, 1873. Duncombe was once a member
of the city council. His election gave rise to a novel contest in the
assembly and one that is often cited in the legislature in contested
election cases. He was born in Connecticut and about 1817 removed
to Canada. A couple of months afterwards he was elected to the
colonial parliament and took an oath of allegiance to the then English
king. He was denounced as a rebel and fled to the United States in
1837, but was never naturalized. His seat in the assembly was con-
tested on the ground that he was not a citizen and January 22, 1859,
the house declared his seat vacant. A special election was called and
on February 19 9he was elected again by a large majority. On the 14th
he had been admitted to citixenship under the act of 1795. His seat
was again contested on the ground that he had not been a citizen
for the constitutional period at the time of his election, and the house
again declared his seat vacant. Sacramento county therefore lost
part of its representation at the session. Duncombe died at Hicks-
ville, October 1, 1867.

1860, Dr. R. B. Ellis, L. C. Goodman, Henry Starr and D. W.
Welty. Goodman was at one time a supervisor and afterward re-
moved fi-om the county. Starr was a practicing attorney and died
in this city about three years ago. Welty removed to Nevada, then
returned to Sacramento and practiced law. He removed to Oregon
and died 'at Chehalis, Wash., March 24, 1891.

1861, Amos Adams, Charles Crocker, N. Greene Curtis and Dr.
Jose]3h Powell. Adams, at that time a farmer, afterward became
prominent as a member of the Grange. He removed to San Francisco
and died at San Jose, March 18, 1896. Crocker was then a dry-goods
merchant and afterwards acquired national reputation as one of the
builders of the Central Pacific Railroad. He was at one time a city
councilman. He died at Monterey, August 14, 1888. Powell prac-
ticed medicine at Folsom, where he died November 27, 1869.

1862, W. H. Barton, John E. Benton, James B. Saul, James H.
Warwick and R. D. Ferguson. Barton was president of the New
Liverpool Salt Company in San Francisco for many years. Benton
served also as a senator. Saul removed to Yolo county, where he

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 127

managed a large fruit ranch. He died at Davisville, October 30, 1881.
Warwick, an actor of ability and a fine orator, removed from here
many years ago.

1863, Amos Adams, W. H. Barton, M. M. Estee, James H. War-
wick and Dr. Charles Buncombe. Estee served the county as district
attorney in 1864-65. In 1882 he ran for governor and was defeated
by Stoneman. He was chairman of the national Republican conven-
tion; a presidential elector in 1876; nominee for governor in 1894;
United States district judge of the Hawaiian Territory, appointed
June 5, 1900. He lived for a number of years at his home in Napa,
and died at Honolulu, October 27, 1903.

1863-64, Alexander Badlam, William B. Hunt, John P. Rhodes,
Francis Tukey and J. R. Watson. Badlam, in partnership with M. M.
Estee, John Simpson, H. C. Bidwell and others, published a paper
called the Evening Star for about three months from May 25, 1864.
He removed to San Francisco and was elected assessor. He ran for
re-election in 1882 and when his friends expressed fear that he might
not win, he said that "it would be a cold day when he got left." The
day after the election some of his friends sent him a ton of coal and a
cord of wood, with a note sa>'ing that it might serve to keep him
warm during the cold da}'. He was port warden at San Francisco,
1890-91, and died in that city, January 25, 1898. Hunt kept the French
Hotel on Second street for many years. He was an old New York
fireman in the days of the volunteer companies and was chief en-
gineer of our fire department. He was known as the "Sacramento
Statesman" when he was assemblyman; was an assemblyman from
San Francisco in 1885, and died there November 13, 1889. Rhodes
was a farmer on the Cosunmes, and died there on his farm, December
20, 1866. Tukey was marshal of Boston at the time of the Webster-
Parkman murder. He was city superintendent of schools in 1855 and
died on his farm near this city, November 23, 1867. For many years
Watson was purchasing agent for the Central Pacific Railroad Com-
pany, and superintendent of the hospital. He died in this city, Sep-
tember 11, 1889.

1865-66, Thomas Hansbrow, Dwight Hollister, Peter J. Hopper,
William B. Hunt and J. B. Maholmb. Hansbrow was in business in
Sacramento for some years. He was at one time a supervisor, and
died August 31, 1868. Hollister was a farmer and fruit-grower near
Courtland. He was once a supervisor and served in the assembly
a second time, in the twenty-sixth session. He died on his ranch at
Courtland, September 7, 1904. Hopper was a lawyer and newspaper
publisher at Folsom and afterward moved to Sacramento. He died
July 22, 1883. Maholmb was a farmer on the Cosumnes, but afterward
moved to San Francisco.

1867-68, Marion Biggs, Paschal Coggins, A. Comte, Jr., Bruce B.
Lee and Charles Wolleb. Marion Biggs removed to Butte county,

128 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

where he lived until his death. He was a member of the second con-
stitutional convention and a member of congress from 1887 till 1891.
Coggins was for some time local editor of the Union, and was a mem-
ber of the board of education, but left here, shot himself in the head
in San Francisco and died from the effects of the wound, November
18, 1883. Comte was also a senator. Bruce B. Lee was a son of
Barton Lee, one of the pioneer merchants and bankers, whose deeds
of charity in the early days of Sacramento are worthy of remem-
brance. He was subsequently harbor commissioner and later removed
to Eed Bluff and engaged in the real-estate and insurance business.
A prominent Mason, he was chosen grand commander of the Knights
Templar of California. He died at Eed Bluff, October 30, 1890.
WoUeb was secretary of the Germania Building and Loan Association
for years. He died at Fruitvale, Alameda coimty, December 21, 1883.

1869-70, James A. Duffy, Isaac F. Freeman, M. S. Hor.qn, John A.
Odell and R. D. Stephens. Duffy was also a senator. Freeman was
a farmer near Elk Grove. Born in Ohio, he came to this state in 1852,
driving a herd of cattle across the plains and walking all the way.
After staying a year he returned east, but came back in 1859, settled
near Elk Grove and carried on a farm there for many years. He was
highly respected by his neighbors, by whom he was familiarly known
as "Uncle Isaac." He died at his home, December 7, 1892. Horan
was afterwards a police judge and practiced law in San Francisco and
died there, December 10, 1892, three days later than Freeman, his
colleague. Odell died at Folsom, May 29, 1881. Stephens was born
in Illinois and came overland to California in 1849 with his father.
They located near Mayhews, where the son still has a very valuable
vineyard and orchard. He has been one of the foremost fruit-growers
in the county and has done much to build up the fruit interests of the
state. He was elected constable in 1859, to the legislature in 1869,
served as warrant clerk in the controller's office from 1875 to 1880,
and was a candidate for controller in 1882 in the Democratic conven-
tion. He took an active part in the constitutional convention of 1879,
and in 1885 was appointed by President Cleveland postmaster of Sac-
ramento. He was state library trustee, 1889-94; member of the state
board of vitieultural commissioners, 1890, and the state board of hor-
ticulture from 1896 to 1903. He still lives in Sacramento and carries
on his horticultural interests.

1871-72, C. G. W. French, Dr. Obed Harvey, Peter J. Hopper,
William Johnston and E. B. Mott, Jr. French practiced law at Fol-
som and in this city for many years. He was appointed chief justice
of Arizona by President Hayes in 1877; was trustee of the state
library from 1866 to 1870, and died in San Francisco, Aug-ust 13, 1891.
Dr. Harvey came from Illinois to California in 1850. In 1859 he was
a delegate to the first railroad convention held in the state. In 1869
he located near Gait and acquired large land holdings. He served in

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 129

the state senate and was a director of the insane asylum at Stockton
for many years. He died at Gait, January 16, 1894. Johnston was
also a senator. Mott was for many years a member of the firm of
Gillig, Mott & Co., and was afterward connected with the Pacific Mu-
tual Life Insurance Company. He was trustee of the state library
from 1872 to 1878, and died here August 4, 1882.

1873-74, James N. Barton, W. E. Bryan, Paschal Coggins, Reuben
Kercheyal and P. H. Russell. Barton remoyed to Humboldt county.
He was a member of the second constitutional conyention. He is still
liying near Sacramento. W. E. Bryan was a farmer residing in this
county. Kercheyal was a fruit farmer with large holdings on Grand
Island and died there, May 9, 1881. Russell was formerly a prominent
grocer in this city. Pie remoyed to San Francisco and died there,
February 12, 1906.

1875-76, Marion Biggs, Jr., Thomas J. Clunie and A. D. Patter-
son. Biggs, the son of Marion Biggs, Sr., was a farmer near Frank-
lin, but afterwards moyed to Butte county. He died in Sacramento,
January 19, 1903. Clunie practiced law for many years in this city
and afterwards removed to San Francisco, being sent to congress from
that city and also represented it in the state senate. In 1884 he was
a delegate to the Democratic national conyention. He died in San
Francisco, June 30, 1903. Patterson was a native of Pennsylvania.
He came to California in 1849 and soon afterwards located at Ron-
tier's, his family coming out here in 1852. He was postmaster at
Routier's for fifteen years. In 1851 he was elected sheriff and the
first three men executed by the authorities were hung during his term.
He died at Routier's, December 4, 1884. What is known as Routier's
for years was called Patterson's, until the name of the postoffice was
changed.

1877-78, Grove L. Johnson, Reuben Kercheval and Joseph Ron-
tier. Johnson and Routier were also senators.

1880, Elwood Bruner, Seymour Carr and John N. Young. Brunei-
and Young were lioth members of the city board of education. The
former has been grand master of the order of Odd Fellows of Cali-
fornia, and was elected district attorney in 1886 and 1888. He went
to Alaska some years ago. Young was an attorney here for a num-
ber of years and "finally removed to San Francisco, where he still prac-
tices law. Carr was a farmer near Clay station, where he still lives.

1881, John E. Baker, W. C. Van Fleet and J. N. Young. Baker
was a soldier during the Civil War, and was a farmer down the Sac-
ramento river. He died in this city. May 2, 1881. Judge Van Fleet
was born in Ohio and came to California in 1869, and studied law
with Beatty and Denson. He was admitted to the bar in 1873 and
practiced in Nevada, returning here in 1876; was appointed a state
prison director in 1883; elected to the superior court in 1885-92; jus-
tice of the supreme court, 1894-99; trustee state library, 1899; code
commissioner, 1899-1903; judge of the United States district court,
northern district, in 1907, which office he still holds.

130 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

1883, Gillis Doty, Hugh M. LaRue and Frank D. Ryan. Doty
was for many years a farmer near Elk Grove and enjoyed the con-
fidence of the community. He was sui^ervisor several times and was
also a state senator for two terms. He was a member of the auditing
board for the commissioner of pnblic works from 1897 to 1902. He
died at Elk Grove, July 23, 1909. La Rue was born in Kentucky and
came to California in 1849, locating at Fiddletown (now called Oleta),
but came to Sacramento in 1850. In 1857 he was elected sheriff by a
few votes, but lost the office on a contest. He was elected again in
1873, and in 1879 was a member of the second constitutional conven-
tion. In 1863-64 he was a member of the assembly, being speaker for
both terms.- He was a delegate to the national Democratic conven-
tion in 1884; was president of the State Agricultural Society for sev-
eral years and an ex-ofificio regent of the State University, and served
as railroad commissioner from 1895 to 1899. He died at Sacramento,
December 12, 1906. Ryan was born in Sacramento, was admitted to
the bar in 1880; was grand president of the Native Sons in 1889;
trustee of the state library, 1898-1902; trustee Chico Normal School,
1899-1901; trustee Sutter's Fort, 1891-1903; commissioner of public
works, 1899-1907; died near Pleasant Grove, Februarv 9, 1908.

1885, Winfield J. Davis, Charles T. Jones and Dwight Hollister.
Davis was a valuable man in the history of this county. Having a
taste for literature and history, he preserved many of the early in-
cidents and records, and in 1890 published a history of the county,
collected with much care and to which the writer of this history is
much indebted for valuable matter, both then and subsequently. A
biograpliical sketch of him will be found elsewhere. He died at
Marysville, August 3, 1909. Jones served the county several terms
as district attorney and still livfes in this city, practicing law. He was
chosen an alternate elector in 1888.

1887, H. W. Carroll, L. S. Taylor and Seymour Carr. Carroll was
born in Sacramento, was a University of California graduate, and
engaged in various kinds of business here. He was a prominent
Mason and was engineer officer, brigade inspector, lieutenant-colonel
and aide-de-camp on the staff of Governors Stoneman and Bartlett.
He removed some years ago to Seattle, where he is city controller at
present. Taylor was a native of Ohio and came to this state in 1850.
He spent some time in the mines and later went to Solano, holding for
a year the position of deputy district attorney. For some years he
practiced law in this city and was a county commissioner. He was a
past grand master of Odd Fellows, and died in this citv, Februarv 6,
1895.^

1889, E. C. Hart, W. M. Petrie and L. H. Fassett. Judge Hart
was a member of the senate in 1893-95, and is now a justice of the
third district appellate court. Mr. Petrie has been for nearly fifty
years a resident of this city and a successful merchant. He served a
number of terms as a member of the city board of education, of which

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 131

he was a member until the uew city charter abolished the board, hav-
ing been re-elected term after term. Mr. Fassett was a farmer and
died at his home near Freeport, December 16, 1889. He served one
term as supervisor.

1891, Elwood Bruner, Judson C. Brusie and Gillis Doty. Mr.
Bruner was for many years a resident of Sacramento, but went to
Alaska during the gold excitement some years ago and still resides
there. He was also a member of the assembly in 1879 and was dis-
trict attorney of this county for a time. Judson C. Brusie, a prac-
ticing attorney of this city and previously an assemblyman from
Amador county, was secretary of the railroad commissioners from
1903 to 1908. He died in Los Angeles, June 10, 1908. In addition to
being an attorney and public man, he was a very versatile writer
and the author of a successful play.

1893, H. C. Chipman, W. A. Anderson and Eben B. Owen. Mr.
Chipman was a resident of this city for many years and died here.
May 26, 1899. Judge Anderson is an old-timer, having come to this
county with his father at four years of age, in 1849. lie was elected
city auditor and took the office four days after attaining his ma-
jority; was admitted to the bar of the supreme court while yet a
minor. In 1868 he entered the practice of the law and has been for
many years one of the best known and successful attorneys in the
state. He has filled the office of city attorney for several terms and
also that of city justice. From 1867 to 1875 he was assistant ad-
jutant-general of the Fourth Brigade, N. G. C, with the rank of
major. Mr. Owen was a farmer living near McConnell's on the
Cosumnes, where he has a large ranch.

1895, L. T. Hatfield, John E. Butler and Judson C. Brusie. Mr.
Hatfield, an attorney, has been for a number of years legal adviser
of the Sacramento Electric Gas and Railway Company of this city.
Mr. Butler was a farmer who lived above Folsom. He died about a
vear ago at his home in Oak Park.

1897, Scott F. Ennis, L. M. Landsborough and William M. Sims.
Mr. Ennis is a prominent citizen of Sacramento, in the wholesale
produce and commission business. Mr. Landsborough was a fruit-
raiser of Florin and is now a successful business man in that town.
Mr. Sims was for a niimber of years a practicing attorney here, but
of late years has been a resident of San Francisco, where he prac-
tices his profession.

1899, W. D. Knights, Grove L. Johnson and Morris Brooke. Mr.
Knights was for a number of years engaged in business here, but has
for sonie years past been a resident of San Francisco. Mr. Brooke
was a fruit-raiser for some years, but is at present the head of a
large and successful real-estate firm.

1901, Louis F. Reeber, W. W. Greer and Grove L. Johnson. Mr.
Reeber was a well-known citizen of Sacramento. He was elected
as a Democrat and was backed by the labor organizations of the city.
Mr. Greer was a farmer and prominent in Grange circles. He still

132 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

resides on his farm, southeast of the city.

1903, Grove L. Johnson, W. W. Greer and J. M. Higgins. Mr.
Higgins has been for a number of years foreman of the bindery in the
state printing office and is very popular among the labor unions.

1905, Frank J. 0 'Brien, Edward F. Ljnich and C. 0. Busick. Mr.
0 'Brien and Mr. Busick are both practicing lawyers of this city. Mr.
L^^lch is a farmer living near Mills station" on the Folsom and
Placerville railway.

1907, Grove L. Johnson, Frank J. O'Brien and Edward F. Lynch.

1909, E. L. Hawk, W. W. Greer and Grove L. Johnson. Mr.
Hawk has been for many years a prominent real-estate dealer of this
city, and is very prominent in Grand Army circles, having been de-
partment commander in 1910.

1911, John C. March, Charles A. Bliss and E. F. Lynch. Mr.
March is well known in this city, and was city justice for two terms.
Mr. Bliss, a practicing attorney here, at the recent election under the
new charter was elected one of the city commissioners.

CHAPTER XVIII
CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY

In 1850 the legislature took the first active step toward securing
a state library by enacting a law directing that the scattered books
which were the property of the state be gathered together and placed
in the custody of the secretary of state, who should also serve as
state librarian. This was done, but no considerable addition was
made to the number of volumes so collected until 1856, when 3500
standard law books were bought, at a cost of about $17,000, and
placed in the library, which soon began to grow, comprising in 1860
about 20,000 volumes; in 1870 it had increased to 25,000; in 1880
to 50,000 ; in 1890 to about 70,000.

Nearly every stranger in Sacramento visits the California State
Library, whose headquarters are in the Capitol building, where they
occupy the largest part of the east wing, extending from the base-
ment to the top floor. On the shelves of the library are about
165,000 volumes. Its average annual income has been about $45,000.
The institution was established by an act of the state legislature in
1851, and was intended originally as a legislative reference collection
only. In 1899 the right to appoint the state librarian passed from the
legislature to the governor, thus taking the state librarianship out
of the danger of periodic scrambles for office incident upon legis-
lative changes. The strength and influence of the office was greatly
strengthened by the api)ointment in the same year of the present
state librarian, J. L. Gillis, a librarian of unusual executive power.
Under his administration the library has widened its sphere of use-
fulness until it has become the controlling factor in library work
throughout the entire state.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 133

The work of the institution is carried on through about seven de-
partments, briefly summarized as Order and Accessions; Catalogue;
Law ; Reference ; Documents ; California ; Department for the Blind,
and County Library Extension. The most original work is conducted
by the last three departments. The California includes besides all
books written about California or by California authors, a splendid
file of pioneer records, arranged in card-catalogue form, and con-
taining invaluable information concerning the social and political
history of the state written first-hand by actual observers of the
events that make up the annals of early California. A like record is
kept of the state's authors, musicians and artists, together with files
containing reproductions of the canvases of California painters. Pho-
tographs are also on file of the interesting persons connected with any
part of the state's history, political, social or artistic. An unique
index to California's newspapers and magazine literature is main-
tained by this department.

Books for the blind are sent out upon request to coimtless readers
all over the state. The resources of this branch of the work are
some 2,132 books in different kinds of raised ijpe, and nearly all the
leading magazines for the blind; to which are being constantly added
writing appliances, games and puzzles of new invention.

Nowhere is the influence' of the state library more helpful thkn
in its organization and encouragement of the county libraries which
are rapidly appearing on every side, and promise to spread throughout
all the counties of the state. These county libraries, through a well
organized system of inter-library loans managed by the state library,
are able to secure a constant supply of rare, valuable or technical
books which would otherwise be unattainable by them. Also the
standard of scholarship and efficiency of these smaller libraries is
kept u]! to a high level through a system of report-making to the
state library; through county library conventions conducted by the
state library ; through personal yearly visits of the state librarian, and
through the influence of the state library board of examiners, which
conducts competitive examinations for applicants for county librari-
anship.

California is among the first of all the states to reeogTiize the
large value of a strong, central library which shall foster the smaller
county organizations, and naturally the people of the state are in-oud
of the good work accomplished and yet to be accomplished by their
state library at Sacramento.

CHAPTER XIX

CITY FREE LIBRARY

Along in the middle '50s the need for a piiblic library began to
be recognized, and in 1857 the Sacramento Librarv Association was

134 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

organized and a good library collected, which, in spite of loss by fire,
steadily increased. In 1872 the building on I street, between Seventh
and Eighth, which is now occupied by the Sacramento City Free
Library, was erected, and furnished at a total cost of $17,000. $11,000
of this amount was raised by a gift enterprise and mortgage for
$6,000 was given. The library opened under favorable auspices, but
its existence was not as prosperous as had been expected or was
desirable. In 1879, therefore, the directors offered to donate the
property to the city, to be maintained as a free library, if the city
would assume the debt. When the question was submitted to the
voters of the city at the election in March following, the offer was
accepted. Soon after the library was re-arranged and re-catalogued
and on Ji;ne 15, was thrown open to the jjublie as a free library with
6,067 volumes on the shelves. It has steadily gTOwn in size and use-
fulness and comprises many thousand volumes. The leading papers
of the state and many of the leading newspapers of the Union are
to be found in its reading room, besides a number of representative
foreign newspapers and periodicals, numbering in all, between two
hundred and three hundred. Books may be drawn from the library
by any citizen of Sacramento, free of cost, upon obtaining the neces-
sary permit. The library is supported by a public tax and is under
the control of a board of trustees appointed by the mayor of the city.
For a number of years they were elected by the people. Among those
who have served as library trustees were the following: Judge S. C.
Denson, William H. Mills, William C. Fitch, Samuel Howard Gerrish.
Add C. Hinkson, Mrs. G. W. Hancock, Miss Georgiana Brewster,
Albert Hart, Kirke W. Brier, Francis Le Noir, A. S. Hopkins, L. E.
Smith, E. B. Willis.

In 1908 the library, under an agreement with the board of super-
visors, extended the library privileges to all the residents of Sacra-
mento county, being the first library in the state to undertake this
county library work. Branch libraries and deposit stations to the
number of twenty-eight have been established in various parts of the
county, and school-room libraries have been provided for all schools
desiring this service.

The library now has approximately 50,000 volumes, including
the county and schools collections, serves 10,000 card holders, and
circulates about 200,000 books a year. Under the new city charter,
effective July 1, 1912, the management of the library is placed in the
hands of a librarian, subject to the supervision of the commissioner
of education. The last board of library directors to serve in this
capacity, who will go out of office with the incoming of the new charter,
consists of W. C. Fitch, president; S. H. Gerrish, secretary; L. J.
Hinsdale, F. B. Sutliff and D.. S. Watkins The first two have served
continuously since the library became a free library. The librarian,
Lauren W. Ripley, has been connected with the institution since Jan-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 135

uary, 1882, and is assisted by a staff of ten people at the central
library and twenty-eight branch librarians and custodians of deposit
stations.

CHAPTER XX
GOVERISnMENT OFFICES

The Sacramento postoffice was established in the early days of
the city's existence. Since that time its business has increased with
the growth of the city, but the facilities for carrying it on have
always been less than its needs. The rapid growth and extension
of Sacramento and its suburbs during the past few years have sorely
taxed the resources of the office, the government furnishing additional
carriers and clerks when it could no longer shut its eyes to the fact
that the force was inadequate.

R. M. Richardson, the latest postmaster, assumed his duties in
1904. The total receipts of the office for that year were $117,792.55.
The tremendous growth since then is apparent when it is stated that
for the year ending December 31, 1911, the receipts were $284,807.86.

When Mr. Richardson took charge in 1904, there were twenty-six
carriers and twenty-two clerks. At the present time the force con-
sists of forty-one carriers and forty-nine clerks, with the prospect
that another increase will be necessary before long. The addition
which during the past year has been made to the building provides
for about double the lobby space, and greatly increases the general
working room of the main office. At the i^resent rate of increase in
postal receipts and the amount of work to be handled, the present
building will hardly be sufficiently large to accommodate the postal
business of this city in a few years.

It is estimated that over 60,000 people are now receiving city
delivery service, which includes Oak Park, Highland Park, Curtis
Oaks and East Sacramento. The adjacent country Mng within a
radius of about nine miles from Sacramento is served by two rural
carriers. Owing to the fact that it has become so thickly populated,
it has become necessary to make request for two additional rural
routes in order to serve the patrons.

In addition to the main office there are fifteen branch offices within
the old limits of Sacramento and one at Oak Park.

The Post Office, Internal Revenue Office, United States Land
Office, Weather Bureau and some minor offices are in the fine sand-
stone Government building that stands on the northeast corner of
Seventh and K streets, on the site formerly occupied by St. Rose's
Rou'an Catholic Church.

The United States Land Office dates back to the early history
of the state, after its admission. There were formerly United States
land offices at Marysville and Stockton, but the two offices were con-

136 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

solidated with the Sacramento office a few years ago and all their
records transferred to Sacramento. John F. Armstrong is the reg-
istrar and John C. Ing the receiver, and they have given to the office
a reputation of promptness and careful management.

The Internal Revenue office for this district comprises Northern
California and Nevada — a wide extent of country — and which gives
employment to a large clerical force, as well as numerous store-
keepers, gangers, etc. It has been vex'y efficient in the discharge of
its duties for many years, and stands high on the roll of efficiency
in the revenue department in Washington. It has not lost any of
its prestige during the management of the present incumbent, Hon.
W. A. Shippee, and his clerical force. (It was incorporated lately
with the San Francisco office.)

The United States Weather Bureau station in Sacramento was
established July 1, 1877, by Sergeant B. B. Watkins of the Signal
Corps, U.S.A. The office was located on the fourth floor of the St.
George building, on the corner of Fourth and J streets. November
28, 1879, the office was moved to the Fratt building, corner of Second
and K streets, and June 1, 1882, it was again moved to the Arcade
building, on Second street, between J and K. February 1, 1884, it
was moved to the Lyon & Curtis building, on J street, between Front
and Second, and April 30, 1894, it was removed to the postoffice
building, at Seventh and K streets, where it now is. The station was
in charge of Sergeant Watkins until April 15, 1879, when he was
relieved by Sergeant M. M. Sickler, who was relieved by Sergeant
James A. Barwick, March 15, 1881. Sergeant Barwick remained in
charge of the station, except as temporarily relieved on account of
sickness or other causes, until August 18, 1901, when he was relieved
by James H. Scarr, and transferred to Denver, his health having
failed. Mr. Scarr was relieved May 3, 1908, by T. A. Blair, who
had temporary charge until relieved by N. R. Taylor, the present
incumbent. May 8, 1908. By his uniform courtesy and personal quali-
ties Mr. Taylor has made many friends in the community, and during
his incumbency has instituted great improvements in the service.

During his incumbency of twenty years Sergeant Barwick made
great strides in the efficiencj" of the service and is held in most kindly
regard by older residents of the city. Formerly the data concerning
the stage of the river and the forecasts in winter concerning it were
published in the San Francisco office, but May 1, 1905, the data con-
cerning the river were transferred to Sacramento. Here the river
observation service was re-organized by Observer Scarr, and he
made great improvements in it, which brought it to a high state of
efficiency and which have been continued and expanded by Observer
Taylor. Today all the flood stages of the Sacramento river and its
tributaries are accurately forecast by him from data gathered from
the stations in his district. This station now has the collection of

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 137

data from the San Joaquin watershed below the mouth of the Mokel-
umne, embracing that of the Mokehimne, Cosunmes, Stanislaus, Cala-
veras rivers, and Mormon slough. Observer Taylor has also, within
the past two years, established a number of stations for the observa-
tion and recording of the snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

CHAPTER XXI

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS

In an earlier chapter reference was made to the suffering in
1849 and 1850 of the inhabitants of Sacramento and the immigrants
who came across the plains or "around the Horn," in search of gold.
Some of them had lost their stores of provisions or exhausted them.
Some had started without calculating on the conditions they would
find here. Some had been despoiled by the attacks of Indians, and,
losing their horses or cattle, had been obliged to abandon part of
their wagons and stores. And some of those coming by both of the
routes had been attacked by scurvy on account of the scarcity of
vegetables, and were in wretched condition when they arrived here.
The generosity of General Sutter afforded the impoverished strangers
temporary relief, but more than temporary relief was needed where
there were so many destitute and suffering.

The situation in Sacramento was graphically set forth by Dr.
Morse in his history. He says: "At this time Sacramento was a
nucleus of attraction to the world. It was the great starting point
to the vast and glittering gold fields of California, with the tales of
which the whole imiverse became astounded, and which men of every
clime and nation sought to reach, without a moment's reflection upon
the cost or hazard of such an adventure. The only consideration
upon the part of a hundred thousand gold-seekers who were prepar-
ing for emigration to California was dispatch. Time wasted on pru-
dential outfits, upon the acquirement of means beyond the passage
fee to San Francisco, and peradventure a little spending money to
dissipate the impatience of delay, was as well wasted in any other
way. What were a few dollars that required months to accumulate in
the Atlantic states, to the gold-gleaming ounces that California gave
weekly as compensation to the simplest labor?

"All that men seemed to wish for was the means of setting foot
on California soil, and few were sufficiently provident in their calcu-
lations to provide anything beyond the mere landing at San Francisco.
Out of the thousands who landed at the above place in the interval
referred to, not one in a hundred arrived in the country with money
enough to buy him a decent outfit for the mines. Such was the heed-
lessness with which people inunigrated to this country during the
incipient progTess of the gold-seeking fever. In all parts of the world
vessels of every size and condition were put up for the great El

138 HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

Dorado, and as soon as put up were filled to overflowing with men
who had not the remotest conception of the terrible sufferings they
were to encounter. Along the entire coast of the American continent,
in every prominent port in Europe, in nearly every maritime point
in Asia, and in nearly all the islands in the world, were men struggling
with reckless determination for the means of coming to California.
The savings of years were instantly appropriated, goods and chattels
sold at ruinous sacrifices, homesteads mortgaged for loans obtained
upon destructive rates of interest, and jewelry, keepsakes and pension
fees pledged for the reimbursement of a beggarly steerage passage
for thousands of miles to the town of San Francisco.

"These are facts with which the world is now familiar, and this
being the manner in which people embarked for the Eureka state, it
can be easily imagined how those landed who survived the untold
and unutterable suffering endured from port to jDort. From the 1st
of August, 1849, the deluging tides of immigrants began to roll into
the city of San Francisco their hundreds and thousands daily; not
men robust and hearty by a pleasant sea voyage, but poor miserable
beings, so famished and filthy, so saturated with scorbutis diseases,
or so depressed in spirits as to make them an easy prey of disease
and death, where they had expected naught but health and fortune.

"Thus did mining adventurers pour into San Francisco, nine-
tenths of whom, for a few months, took passage to Sacramento. How-
ever debilitated they might be, however penniless and destitute, still
this, the great focus of mining news, the nearest trading point for
miners situated on a navigable stream, was the only place that men
could think of stopping at for recuperative purposes. Hence, from
Cape Horn, from all the isthmus routes, from Asiatic seaports, and
from the islands of the Pacific, men in the most impoverished health
were converging at Sacramento. But these were not the only sources
of difficulty to Sacramento in 1849; for at the same time that the
scurvy-ridden subjects of the ocean began to concentrate among us,
there was another more terrible train of scorbutic sufferers coming
in from the overland roads, so exhausted in strength and so worn
out with the calamities of the journey as to be but barely able to
reach this, the Valley City.

"From these sources Sacramento became a perfect lazar house
of disease, suffering and death, months before anything like an ef-
fective city government was organized. It must be remembered that
in proportion as these scenes began to accumulate, men seemed to
grow indifferent to the appeals of suffering, and to the dictates of
benevolence. The more urgent and importunate the cries and be-
seeching miseries of the sick and destitute, the more obdurate, des
potic and terrible became the reig-n of cupidity.

"In the month of July, 1849, these subjects of distress and the
appeals of misery became so common that men could not escape them ;

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 139

and if there had been the utmost attention paid to the exercise of
oharity and protection, it would have been impossible to have met the
demands of the destitute, sick and dying as a commensurate sympathy
would have dictated. Such was the difficulty with which facilities for
the care of the sick could be procured, that even the few who had
money could not purchase those comforts which even the poorest
in the Atlantic states can enjoy. Dr. Craigan's hospital at the Fort
was the most comfortable place, but such 'were the necessary demands
for boarding and nursing that men could not avail themselves of such
care. Soon after the establishment of this hospital, Drs. Deal and
Martin opened another hospital in one of the bastions of the old
Fort. This led to a reduction of the cost of hospital board and
attendance, but still it was too dear a comfort to be purchased
by more than one in five of the accumulating invalids of the town.
The sick of the city were in consequence thrown upon the exclusive
attention of a society which had become so mammon-ridden as to be
almost insensible to the voice of want. Not only were the victims
of scurvy evolving a general distress, but also those who supposed
themselves acclimated were beginning to feel the sweeping miasmatic
fevers which were peculiarly severe during this first season."

The first organized efforts to relieve the suffering were made
by the fraternity of Odd Fellows, individual members of which formed
an informal organization. Gen. A. M. Winn was elected president,
Mr. McLaren, secretary, and Captain Gallup, treasurer. They devoted
themselves untiringly to the sick and suffering, and an immense
amount of relief was dispensed. Still men sickened and died and
often were not even wrapped in a blanket for burial. Coffins were
from sixty to one hundred and fifty dollars apiece and could not
always be procured, Imt the association spent thousands of dollars
for them.

As before related, the cholera made its appearance oh the 20th
of October, 1850, and raged for nearly a month, the death roll of
which can never be known. The stricken city was nearly dejioim-
lated for a time. In A]n-il, 1850, the Freemasons and Odd PVllows
together built a hospital, the board of trustees being elected by linth
orders.

Dr. Dow had a "Thompsonian Hospital and Botanic Medicine
Store" on K street, between Second and Third. The price of admis-
sion per day was from five to twenty- five dollars, "according to
trouble and expense."

Drs. T. J. White and C. D. Cleveland had a large hospital at
the corner of Ninth and L streets that would accommodate one hun-
dred patients, and Drs. James S. Martin and B. R. Carman eon-
ducted the "Sutter's Fort Hospital" inside of the Fort. Drs. Morse
and Stillman also had a hosjutal at the corner of Third and K streets.

Besides these, there were several physicians, first at Sutter's

140 HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

Fort and afterwards in the city, who received boarding jDatients, but
very few sick persons had the means with which to pay the prices
asked. It became necessary, therefore, at an early date, for a public
hospital to be established, at which all cases could be taken in and
cared for. This was done, the first one being opened in the business
part of the city, Drs. J. F. Montgomery, Johnson Price, George W.
Williams and Proctor being among the first physicians connected
with it. The city directory of 1853 contains the announcement, "Drs.
Johnson Price and George W. Williams, Physicians to the County
Hospital, corner of I and Seventh streets." About that time Proctor
and Price established a hospital on Second street, between I and J,
with seventy-five or eighty beds, and entered into a contract with the
county for keeping the poor, numbering about fifty, and charging very
high prices. Three or four years afterwards the county, having
meanwhile built itself a hospital on the corner of Tenth and L streets,
endeavored to break the contract, but Price and Proctor sued and
obtained judgment against it. This county hospital was erected on
the northeast corner of the present Capitol Park. It was torn down
and removed shortly after it was vacated, soon after the Civil War.

Dr. Montgomery was the county physician again in 1857 ; 1858-59,
Dr. G. L. Simmons; 1859-60, Dr. Montgomery; 1861, from November,
Dr. G. J. Phelan; 1869, from September, Dr. Montgomery; 1870, Dr.
A. C. Donaldson, with Dr. G. A. White as assistant.

The county then purchased some land from James Lansing, there
being about sixty acres on the Upper Stockton Road, a mile south of
the city limits, paying about $11,000 for it. Here the county erected
a fine building and removed to it about seventy-five patients from the
old one. This hospital was burned October 5, 1878, and the patients
were removed to the "Old Pavilion," corner of Sixth and M streets
and cared for temporarily, until the present one was built, in 1879.
It was more eonunodious and better arranged than the first one, but
has nearly outlived its usefulness and a new one will undoubtedly
be constructed in the near future, with more up-to-date appurtenances.
It was built on the "pavilion" plan with four wings radiating from
the central structure and cost about $65,000. The farm provides
fruit, vegetables, milk and various other things for the use of the
inmates.

Dr. G. A. White became county physician in 1872, and continued
as such until 1908, with the exception that in the spring of 1879, the
homeopathists were put in charge of the hospital, Dr. George Pyburn
serving for three months, and Dr. George M. Dixon the succeeding
four. Dr. Laine, regiilar, finished out the unex]Hred term. Dr.
White brought the hospital up to a high state of efficiency and stands
in the front rank of the surgeons of the state. He was succeeded,
in 1904, by his son, Dr. John L. White, who is the present county

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 141

physician and has already won the name of one of the most promising
yoimg surgeons on the coast.

SOUTHERN PACIFIC HOSPITAL,

In the early days of the Central Pacific history, the road i-an
through a sparsely settled country, with the towns few and far be-
tween and of small size. Accidents in the railroad man's life are
frequent. In those days most of the road's employees were new men
on the coast and but few of them had relatives that could take care
of them when disabled. It remained then, in most cases, for the com-
pany and their comrades to take care of them. These calls for dona-
tions were frequent and burdensome and the company finally con-
cluded that it would be best and most humane for it to build a hos-
pital where the emploj^ees could be treated and cared for when sick
or disabled, whether they had means or not. Sacramento was the
place chosen for the hospital and an old residence was leased for the
purpose. In 1869 the Central Pacific Hospital was built at a cost of
$64,000. It was of four stories, 60x35 feet, and two wings, 35x52
feet, and a kitchen twenty-four feet square. It had six wards, be-
sides eight private rooms for patients, and had a library of fifteen
hundred volumes. The executive and medical staff was excellent.
It was supported by a monthly contribution of fifty cents from each
officer and employee, which entitled them to free medical treatment
in case of sickness or injury while in the employ of the company. It
proved of very great benefit to the employees. In 1900 it was aban-
doned and removed to the Charles Crocker residence on F street and
Eighth, where it now is, but the construction of a new one was begun
in 1911 on Second street. It was completed in 1912, and has since
been used chiefly as an emergency hospital, most of the ordinary eases
being sent to the company's hospital in San Francisco.

PKOTESTANT OEPHAN ASYLUM

Early in 1858 the necessity for caring for orphan children was
discussed, and an association for that purpose was formed, but it did
not prove of long continuance and the matter was dropped for some
years. In 1867, however, the governor and a number of citizens were
interested through the efforts of Mrs. Elvira Baldwin in the care of
a family of seven children orphaned by the death of their mother, a
poor woman. The direct influence of this movement was the awaken-
ing of a new interest in the subject, and the organization of a society
for the care and maintenance of destitute orphans in the county, and
ultimately in the state. Mrs. I. E. Dwinell was the first president
of the organization and the society rented and furnished a building
at Seventh and D streets, where fourteen or fifteen children were
immediately placed in the care of the first matron, Mrs. Cole. The
association erected a building the next year on the block between K
and L, Eighteenth and Nineteenth streets, where the new high school
building now stands. The building was considerably damaged by fire,

142 HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

December 7, 1878, but was soon repaired and another and better
building was added to it, making it commodious and well-arranged.
The year previous a neat school building had been erected, and the
school was made part of the city public-school system and placed
under the care of the city board of education. No children except
the inmates of the institution were allowed to attend the school.

Many noble women have devoted much time and money to the
welfare and upbuilding of the institution. Among them was Mrs.
Sarah E. Clayton, who was president of the society in 1877-88, and
traveled nearly five thousand miles in fifteen years, caring for orphans
who were afterwards furnished with homes through the efforts of
the society. In 1905 the propertj^ was sold to the city of Sacramento
for high school purposes and the institution was removed to a site
on the Lower Stockton Eoad, just beyond the William Curtis jilace.

THE MAKGUEEITE HOME

The first of the monuments to the memory of Mrs. Margaret
Crocker was the home for aged women known as the MargTierite Home,
the second being the gift of the Crocker Art Gallery to the city. The
home is situated at Seventh and I streets and was originally the
residence and grounds of Capt. William Whitney, comprising a half-
block on I street. A fine building was added to the residence, mak-
ing twenty-eight large bedrooms, with parlor, reception room, office,
kitchen, laundry and diningroom. Everything was done for the com-
fort and convenience of the inmates and the rooms are well-lighted
and ventilated, and the house heated by hot-air pipes. The grounds
are well shaded by fine trees and kept in good order by the trustees.

The Marguerite Home was dedicated February 25, 1884; the
sixtieth anniversary of the birth of Mrs. Crocker, the occasion being
celebrated by a reception of the older citizens of Sacramento at the
home. After the congratulations were over, Mrs. Margaret Crocker
made the presentation of the home to the trustees in the following
words, which explain the purpose and status of the gift: "Frank
Miller, Albert Gallatin, John H. Carroll, Gustavus L. Simmons and
Charles McCreary: Gentlemen — Herewith I deliver into your pos-
session a deed in trust for certain money, real and personal prop-
erty, by means of which I propose to establish a home for aged
and indigent women in Sacramento, to be known as the 'Marguerite
Home.' I have the honor, gentlemen, to solicit your acceptance of
this trust; the deed expresses my intentions without placing restric-
tions on your mode of management.

"Knowing your intelligence and ability, and having full faith in
your character and in your disposition to aid in all benevolent pur-
poses, and believing you to be in full accord with my views in respect
to the especial objects in my regard in this gift, I have left, as you
will see upon a careful examination of the deed, to your discretion

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 143

and superior knowledge and to your kind and earnest efforts, wliich
I most heartily invoke, the success of this trust."

Mayor John Q. Brown, Dr. G. L. Simmons and Hon. Joseph Stef-
fens made appropriate responses to the tender of the generous gift.
The deed, in addition to the property purchased for the home, dedi-
cated also $50,000 as an endowment fund, besides $12,000 as a further
aid to the maintenance of the home. While the money was apportioned
to the support of the inmates, the trustees, anxious to extend the
benefits of the institution to a wider range, concluded to take for life
such worthy and respectable women as may desire to enter the home
and as are able to pay the expenses incident to their maintenance.

Of the original trustees, all except Frank Miller are dead, Dr.
Simmons passing away a little over a year ago. The present board
of trustees consists of Ludwig Mebius, president. Dr. W. A. Briggs,
vice-president, Dr. W. E. Briggs, C. F. Dillman and H. A. Fairbanks.
The death of Dr. Simmons was a great blow to the board of directors,
as he had given his time and eifort unstintedly and unselfishly to
looking after details important to the efficiency of the home and the
comfort of its inmates. The patronesses of the home are Mrs. W. A.
Briggs, Mrs. Mebius, Mrs. C. F. Dillman, Mrs. W. E. Briggs and
Mrs. Fairbanks. Miss Sue M. Clarke is the present matron.

OTHER HOSPITALS

From time to time other hospitals have been provided for the
care of the sick, which, while not strictly speaking, charitable institu-
tions, are for the alleviation and cure of the ills of suffering humanity,
and may therefore be spoken of under this head. All "water cures"
and "health institutes" are hospitals, and after the rush of the gold
seekers to this state was fairly on, it is surprising how quickly all
the eastern institutions of that class were established on this coast,
although not on an extensive scale. There is no record as to when
the first water cure was established in this city, but it was probably
in the early '50s. We find Dr. T. P. Zander in 1857 advertising one
at the southwest corner of Fifth and K street, and later a Dr. Burns
established one which afterwards became the Pacific Water Cure and
Electric Health Institute.

This fell later under the management of Dr. M. F. Clayton, a
graduate of the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, Ohio, who
carried it on until his death, when Mrs. Clayton took charge of it
for a number of years, being succeeded in its active management by
her daughter, Mrs. A. J. Gardner. In 1910 the institution was closed
and the fine structure known as the Hotel Clayton was erected on
its site.

MATEE MISEKICORDIAE HOSPITAL

The care of the sick is one of the chief objects of the order of
Sisters of Mercv, and as Sacramento for so many years could not

144 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

lay claim to any institution for the care of the sick except those of
the city and county and the railroad hospital, the Sisters, in 1895,
with very little money, but with great faith in God's providence, pur-
chased the half block between Q and R, Twenty-second and Twenty-
third streets, of the late Dr. G. L. Simmons for $12,000 on a
mortgage note. The two small buildings known as the "Ridge Home,"
on Twenty-second street, were a small beginning, and poorly equipped,
but their faith was rewarded bj' the appreciation of the public and
in 1896, the large building now known as the Hospital Mater Miser-
icordiae was erected. It has since been enlarged, and porches run
all around it, and is one of the best equipped and best patronized
hospitals on the coast, having four elegant operating rooms of the
latest pattern. Ridge Home is now utilized as a home for the aged.

THE WENTWOETH-IGO HOSPITAL

The Wentworth Igo Hospital was opened September 1, 1900, at a
cost of $13,000, at No. 2515 I street. It had twenty-five beds, and
increased rapidly in popularity. Dr. Wentworth died in 1901 and
Miss Louise Igo continued .the management of the hospital until 1902,
when she severed her connection with it and graduated from the
Medical College of the University of California. In March, 1910,
she opened the Louise Igo Hospital with eight rooms for patients,
and her business grew so rapidly that she has determined to build a
larger institution.

WHITE HOSPITAL

January 12, 1910, Dr. J. L. White opened tlie White Hospital at
Twenty-ninth and J streets, with five four-bed wards, two four-lied
wards and thirty private rooms. He is the owner and manager. For
more than ten years he was superintendent of the County Hospital
and is considered one of the most successful young surgeons in North-
ern California. Mrs. Staley is superintendent of the nurses and has
a number of assistants, and twenty-one nurses in training. The ap-
proximate value of the hospital is $90,000. The annex was completed
in May, 1911, with twelve rooms on the upper floor for patients. The
hospital rapidly found its way into public favor and is in a very
prosperous condition.

THE HOME OF THE MERCIFUL SAVIOUR

The Home of the Merciful Saviour, on the J Street Road, is an
institution for the treatment of crippled and invalid children. Al-
though under the fostering care of the Episcopal Church it is
wholly non-sectarian as to admissions and has received as patients
children from the length and breadth of California, the only requisite
for their acceptance being a physician's certificate indicating their
need of medical or surgical treatment and the age restriction of twelve
years for boys and fourteen for girls.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 145

The Home owes its existence to a memorial gift of $250, donated
by the late Mrs. James Palache, of Berkeley, in remembrance of her
daughter. That nest egg was augmented by the generosity of many
Sacramentans and other friends in the diocese, and the property on
J street was purchased, the house renovated and the Home opened
for the reception of patients, June 1, 1907, with an initial family of
three little ones.

In the five succeeding years one hundred and twenty-five children
have been admitted, many have been discharged "cured," some "im-
proved" and there have been eight deaths. The fatalities have al-
most invariably been due to the hopeless condition of the children when
brought to the Home. The average size of the family at the pres-
ent time is from twenty to twenty-five.

The organization of the Home consists of a board of directors
from whose number are elected a president, vice-president, treas-
urer, corresponding and recording secretaries, the bishop of the
diocese being ex-officio president. There is a sustaining member-
ship of annual subscribers and a life membership comprising don-
ors of one hundred dollars or more in one sum.

There is also a Memorial Endowment Fund, the interest from
which is applied to the maintenance of the Home, and from which
it is hoped in time to realize an adequate annual income for the
support of the institution. This is being created by special gifts,
endowed beds and bequests. Legacies to this charitable institu-
tion are made payable to the Protestant Episcopal Bishop of
Sacramento, a Corporation Sole, in trust for the Home of the Mer-
ciful Saviour.

"the howaeds"

The Howard Benevolent Association of Sacramento was organ-
ized in a time of great tribulation and distress in this city. Tlie
rush of gold seekers in 1849 had brought with it much of disease
and poverty, and the Masons and Odd Fellows had risen nobly to
the occasion and dispensed charity with open hands and willing
hearts, counting not the cost when they could alleviate distress. In
later times, when the floods and fires brought poverty and suffer-
ing, another organization arose. This one was formed purely and
solely for the relief of the destitute and sick, and well and faith-
fully it played its part. No one will ever know how much it did
for the needy, for those who disbursed its funds never boasted of
the deeds, and most, if not all, of the original members have passed
away. The name of the Howards, however, should always be held
in reverence by every citizen of Sacramento.

The first steps looking to the organization of the society were
taken as early as December 21, 1857, N. A. H. Ball being the leader in
the good work. The officers elected for the first year were: George

146 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

W. Mowe, president; L. A. Booth, James P. Robinson, Jobn McNeill,
E. A. Pearis, James E. Perkins and N. A. H. Ball, directors; James
M. Kennedy, secretary, and John S. Bien, treasurer. The income
of the society was derived from membership fees, voluntary con-
tributions, donations by the legislature, and various other sources.
None of the officers except the steward received any salary. Dur-
ing the floods of 1861-62 the association had its headquarters at the
Old Pavilion on M street, as stated in a previous chapter, and as-
sisted hundreds of homeless people. For many years it distributed
to the needy about $4000 a year and numbered about thirty active
members, who elected the directors. Of late years the Howards have
not had so many calls on their charity, as the county has taken hold
of such matters more systematically. For this reason their reserve
fund has accumulated until it amounts to about $20,000. The pres-
ent board of directors consists of R. D. Finnic and Fred Biewener,
John Weil, the third member having died in January, 1912.

The Catholic Ladies' Relief Society, No. 1, has been in ex-
istence for many years and has faithfully looked after the needs of
the destitute and sick of their denomination.

The Young Men's Christian Association was organized October
3, 1866, and elected officers as follows: N. N. Denton, president; H.
B. Eddy, secretary, and M. L. Templeton, treasurer. Twenty-six
names were enrolled at the organization. At a subsequent meeting
October 22, 1866, at the Congregational Church, the organization
was completed by electing other officers, as follows : Sparrow Smith,
corresponding secretary; George "Wick, librarian; H. W. Earl, regis-
trar; G. W. Bruff, Seth Babson, A. Aitken, J. M. Ripley, G. W.
Bonner, board of managers ; and the following vice-presidents : Frank
Miller (Congregational Church), G. R. Forshee (Sixth Street Metho-
dist Church), A. Aitken (Presbyterian Church), C. Emery (Baptist
Church), and Henry Garrett (Christian Church).

The association died down in 1877 and 1878, but was soon after
revived. Its headquarters were at No. 309 K street, the St. George
Building, and on the west side of Sixth street, between K and L.
At present they own the building at the Northwest corner of Fifth
and J streets, but it has been razed, and a splendid building, costing
with the lot about $200,000, is being erected on the site. The associa-
tion is strong and prosperous and has a large membership.

CEMETERIES

The New Helvetia Cemetery, which lies south of and adjoining
McKinley Park, just east of Thirty-first street, is the oldest bury-
ing ground in Sacramento, and is embraced in the original plat of
Sutter's Port. Ten acres here were donated for burial purposes
by Gen. John A. Sutter to the city, about the first of December,
1849. The first person buried was Major Cloud, a paymaster of

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 147

the United States army, who was killed in 1847 some distance south-
east of the fort, by being thrown from a horse. The second person
buried in the cemetery was Miss Susanna Hitchcock, who died early
in 1849 at the new diggings on the Stanislaus; the third was James
McDowell, who was shot in Washington, just across the river from
this city. Many interments were made here in 1849 and 1850, dur-
ing the times when sickness and cholera were so prevalent. Since
the annexation of the suburbs beyond it in 1911, bringing this and
the Jewish cemeteries within the city limits, it is proposed to re-
move the remains of those buried there to some other place, and
abolish those cemeteries.

The City Cemetery was located south of Y street in 1850, on
the southern boundary of the city limits, on Tenth street. It origin-
ally comprised about twenty acres, but the area has been largely in-
creased by additions. It is beautifully adorned with trees, flowering
shrubs and plants, and many fine monuments are to be seen there.
The Freemasons, Odd Fellows, Red Men, Firemen, Pioneers, Print-
ers, Veterans of the Mexican war, and other organizations have
plats within the enclosure, as has also the state, where a number of
state officials were buried. This cemetery is owned by the city, and
is controlled by a. superintendent elected by the board of trustees.

The Hebrew Cemetery is under the control of the Congregation
B'nai Israel, but is owned by the Hebrew Benevolent Society. A
chapel has been erected on the grounds, which are enclosed by a
wall.

St. Joseph's Cemetery belongs to the Catholic diocese of Sac-
ramento and was consecrated by Archbishop Alemany in 1865. It is
located at Twenty-first and Y streets, and is well kept by the sup-
erintendent.

East Lawn Cemetery is the most modern of all the cemeteries,
having been opened by a private corporation in 1904. It is located
on a knoll which is part of the farm formerly owned by Governor
Booth, on the M street road, or Schley avenue, as it is called, a short
distance east of the former city limits, but now far within them
since the annexation of the eastern suburbs. It occupies a beautiful
site and will, in time, be one of the first in the state. It was fur-
nished with a furnace for cremation a year or two ago.

CHAPTER XXII

THE PKESS

One of the first accomjianiments of civilization is the newspaper.
The savage communicates with his fellows by breaking twigs on the
trail or by smoke and other si.gnals in the hills and on the plains.
Civilized man uses more universal and wide-spread devices for dis-
seminating the news. In the days of '49 the people were no less

148 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

eager to hear the news than are we of the present day, who must
devonr the news from the daily paper while we devour our break-
fast. News from the mines was no less eagerly sought by the dweller
in the city than was the news from the city and the east by the
miner at his claim. It was a foregone conclusion, therefore, that
as soon as society was organized, the journalist should open his
office and begin to supply the demand.

The Monterey Californkm was the first newspaper issued in
California and was published and edited by Rev. Walter Colton, a
chaplain in the United States navy, and Dr. Robert Semple. The
type was principally long primer, an old Spanish font, badly worn
and battered. As there is no "w" in the Spanish language, two
"v's" were substituted in words containing "w. " The press was
an old Eamage, which had been used by the Mexican authorities for
printing their edicts and other public papers. The first issue of
the Californian was printed on an inferior quality of paper used
for tobacco wrappers, and was issued in the summer of 1846. John
R. Gould, of Baltimore, afterwards secretary of the Maryland As-
sociation of Veterans of the Mexican War, assisted by a boy, set
the tj'pe, worked off the paper and kept the books of the office. B.
P. Kooser, a corporal in the United States army, was compositor
and pressman on the Californian in 1847, and subsequently pub-
lished the Santa Cruz Sentinel and was a commissioner from the
state at the Centennial Exposition.

The second paper published in this state was the California
Star, the first number being issued in San Fi-ancisco January 9,
1847. It was a weekly a little larger than the Californian and was
published by Sam Brannan and edited by E. P. Jones. The press
was a tolerably good one and the Sonora Herald afterwards used
it. On the 17th of April, 1848, Mr. Jones resigned and E. C. Kemble
succeeded him as editor. The last number of the first volume was
issued January 1, 1848. The first number of the second volume ap-
peared January 8, 1848, in enlarged form and its publication was
continued regularly till May 26, when the printers went to the mines
and its publication was discontinued. The Californian having been
discontinued for the same reason, California was without a news-
paper from the last of May till the latter part of June, 1848.

About July 1, 1848, a few printers returned disgusted from the
mines and commenced the publication of the third volume of the
Californian, and published it irregiilarly until August, when it re-
commenced its regular weekly issues under the editorial manage-
ment of H. I. Sheldon. In September Mr. Kemble, who had re-
turned from the mines, purchased the Californian, as well as the
interests of his partners in the Star, and united the two under the
title of the Star and Californian and recommenced where the Star
had left off — Volume III, No. 24. It was the only paper then pub-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 149

lished in California and was issued weeklj- till the last of December,
1848, when it was discontinued. January 1, 1849, Mr. Kemble took
into partnership Messrs. Gilbert and Hubbard, and began publish-
ing the Alta California. They published it weekly until November
10, 1849, when it was issued tri-weekly and after January 23, 1850,
it was published daily, simultaneously with the Journal of Com-
merce, published by W. Bartlett. March 4, 1849, the Pacific News
also appeared daily. The fourth paper started in California and the
second published in 1849 was the Placer Times, at New Helvetia,
Sutter's Fort April 28, 1849, published by E. Gilbert & Co., in Sac-
ramento, and edited by Jesse Giles. It was a weekly sheet and a
small one. It was printed on sheets of foolscap size. Printing paper
was very scarce in California, but the market was overstocked with
unruled foolscap, which was made a substitute. The Pacific News
was the third newspaper published in the state, at this time, and
was the first tri-weekly. It was published in San Francisco on fools-
cap paper, fte lack of size being compensated for by supplementary
sheets.

During the winter of 1849-50, George Kenyon Fitch came by
the Isthmus route, bringing with him a hand and a card press, ink,
tjTse and about thirty reams of printing paper. He proposed to five
attaches of the Pacific News — F. C. Ewer, H. S. Warren, J. M.
Julian, Theodore Russell and S. C. Upham — the formation of a com-
pany to publish a newspajDer at Sacramento, and the proposition was
accepted. They rented the second floor of a frame building on Second
street, between J and K streets, and April 1, 1850, the initial number
of the tri-weekly paper was issued, which was christened the Sacra-
mento Transcript. It was published on a folio sheet, in brevier and
nonpareil type. A steamer edition, for circulation in the Atlantic
states, was printed once a month, selling at fifty cents a copy, while
the tri-weekly sold at twelve and one-half cents and advertisements
were inserted for $4 a square, each insertion. The six copartners
accepted positions on the paper as follows: G. K. Fitch, heavy and
fighting editor; F. C. Ewer, literary editor; H. S. Warren, foreman;
J. M. Julian, compositor; Theodore Russell, pressman; and S. C.
Upham, local reporter, business manager, printer's devil, "dead
head," etc.

In its salutatory the Transcript uttered a sentiment that it would
be well for the papers of the present day to adopt. It said in part :

"The opening of a new paper is like the planting of a tree

Its shade should be free to all. It should reach forth its branches to
shield the innocent from the pelting storm, and, conscious of its fear-
less might, men should come to it for protection, and find refresh-
ment in its shade. It should be nurtured by no unhealthy influences;
it should be propped up by no interested motives; its growth should
be free and unrestrained. Perchance it may wither in its youth, and

"-SI

150 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

no longer be tlie home of healthy influences. Perhaps it may be
stricken in its manhood by the storms of adversity. Perchance it
may flourish through the years and grow green; but of all dangers
that assail it from without, the insidious influence of those who may
cluster round it for their own jDrivate ends is the most withering
and the most to be feared. A newspaper should never be used. It
is too tremendous a lever to be brought to bear for any jjurpose,
save for the good of the public." ,

The day of publication of its first number was, besides being
"All Fools' Day," the first election day under the new charter and
there were three tickets in the field — the Democratic, the ranchers'
and the citizens' ticket. The total number of votes cast was 2,943,
and Hardin Biglow, the people's candidate, received a majority of
323 over all the others. The Transcript was the fifth newspaper pub-
lished on the Pacific Coast and the first daily outside of San Fran-
cisco published in California. Ten days later the Placer Times came
out daily.

The Transcript was a financial success, but Mr. Julian retired
within two months and Mr. Upham a month later sold his interest
to G. C. Weld, California correspondent of the New York Journal of
Commerce. Mr. Weld was a model business man and a fine writer,
but died within six weeks of the time he became one of the proprie-
tors and the paper beginning to run down, was consolidated with the
Placer Times. A year later, the Times and Transcript removed to
San Francisco and took a leading position as a Democratic organ,
under Pickering and Fitch. It died in 1856 of a Democratic contro-
versy.

When the Placer Times was started the office was not equipped
with a modern plant equal to those nowadays. A lot of old t^qse
was picked up out of the Alta office, an old Ramage press was re-
paired, a lot of Spanish foolscap was secured in San Francisco, and
the whole was shipped to Sacramento on a vessel named the Dice me
Nana (says my mamma), the first craft to carry type and press to
the interior of California, and which made the trip in eight days.
An office was built for the paper about six hundred feet from the
northeast corner of the bastion of Sutter's Fort, and near what is
now" the corner of Twenty-eighth and K streets. The structure was
a queer mixture of wood, adobe and cotton cloth, but it answered
the purpose. The paper was 13x18 inches in size, and the title was
cut from wood with a ]5ocket knife. All sorts of expedients were
resorted to in cutting off and piecing out letters to round out a com-
plement of "sorts" for the cases. The press had a wooden platen,
which needed constant planing to keep it level, and the rollers were
not a most brilliant success. The plant like its owners was a pioneer
in that line, but with all its defects, it "filled a long felt want," and
the merchants of the city rallied around the pioneer publisher and

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 151

subscribed liberally to secure bim from loss. It bas been said tliat
in tbis country tbe newspaper is tbe berald of progress, and in an
energetic community like that of early Sacramento tbe truth of the
assertion was certainly made good.

When tbe Times and Transcript were combined under the double
head in June, 1851, the new paper was enlarged. Tbe Transcript
bad been started as an independent paper, but in 1850 it came out
for the Democratic party, thus being the first interior Democratic
paper. The Times had also originally been neutral, but bad also in
1850 leaned toward Democracy. When the Squatter riot excitement
arose, it had been valiant in defense of the real-estate owners, but
under its new management it became less partisan. At tbe time of
tbe consolidation G. K. Fitch had become state printer and Lorin
Pickering bad the city printing. This formed an advantageous basis
for the fusion, Fitch retaining a half interest in the printing and
Pickering and Lawrence the other half. The three were the editors.
The State Journal became an active rival to the new paper and in
June, 1852, tbe Times-Transcript abandoned the field to its rival and
removed to San Francisco, where it was published by the old firm,
which was afterwards succeeded by George Kerr & Co., composed of
George Kerr, B. F. Washington, J. E. Lawrence and J. C. Haswell.
From then it passed to Edwin Bell and later to Vincent E. Geiger &
Co. In the meantime Fitch & Co. bad acquired the Alta California
and December 17, 1854, they repurchased tbe old Times-Transcript
and absorbed it into tbe Alta.

October 30, 1850, the Squatter Association started a paper, styl-
ing it the Settlers' and Miners' Tribune. Dr. Charles Robinson, who
had become noted for tbe part be took in tbe Squatter riots and who
subsequently became tbe free-state governor of Kansas, was the
editor; James McClatchy and L. M. Booth were the associate editors.
The type was brought from Maine by Sirus Rowe. Except for Sun-
days, it was a daily for a month, but then declined into a weekly and
after another month it died quietly and took its place in the journal-
istic boneyard.

Tbe Sacramento Index was started December 23, 1850, by Lynch,
Davidson & Rolfe, practical printers, with J. W. Winans, since a
prominent San Francisco lawyer, as editor, and H. B. Livingstone as
associate. It was of good size, typographically neat and a paper of
rare literary ability. It was the first evening paper in Sacramento
and was printed in tbe Times ofSee. Having taken ground against
the action of a vigilance committee in hanging a gambler, it lost in-
fluence. After a career of three months it died March 17, 1851, and
joined tbe squatters' paper in the boneyard.

Before the union of tbe Times and tbe Transcript, tbe compe-
tition between them became so fierce that the prices of advertising
declined until they fell below the price of composition. At last the

152 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

printers in both offices rebelled and the greater number of them quit.
They held a meeting in a building adjoining the Transcript office,
which thereby acquired the name of "Sedition Hall," and resolved
to start a new i3aper, for which they secured as editor Dr. J. F.
Morse. Buying their stock in San Francisco, they launched the Sac-
ramento Daily Union at No. 21 J street, March 19, 1851, renting
rooms for it in the Langley brick building. The fate of several of
the proprietors was tragic. Alexander Clark went to the Society
Islands and was never heard from afterwards; W. J. Keating died a
few years afterwards in an insane asylum; Joe Court was burned
to death at the Western Hotel fire in this city, in the fall of 1874.
The others were Alexander C. Cook, E. Gr. Jeffries, Charles L. Han-
secker, J. H. Harmon, W. A. Davidson and Samuel H. Dosh. The
latter subsequently became editor of the Shasta Courier and died
prior to 1875.

It was nearly a year, however, before type could be procured.
A lot had been ordered, but failed to arrive. J. W. Simonton having
made an appearance with a full fledged printing office, with the in-
tention of starting a Whig paper, was persuaded to sell and his
stock was purchased by the Union men.

The daily edition of the Union started with five hundred copies
and rapidly increased. The paper was 23x34 inches, with twenty-
four columns, thirteen of which were filled with advertisements. It
was an independent, outspoken paper and ably edited. The edition
printed March 29, 1851, was entitled the Steadier Union, and was
designed for reading in the eastern states. April 29, 1851, the Union
hoisted the Whig flag, at the same time declining to be ranked as a
subservient partisan. S. H. Dosh soon sold out for $600 and in
June, Harmon sold out for a like sum. On April 23 the paper was
enlarged to the size it has since averaged, and appeared in the new
ty|3e at first ordered. H. B. Livingstone became associate editor in
January, 1852, and Hansecker sold out for $2,000, the firm now be-
coming* E. G. Jeffries & Co. They next sold out to W. W. Kurtz
for $2,100. The first Weekly Union was issued January 10, 1852.
February 13, Cook sold out to H. W. Larkin, and April 3, Davidson
sold to Paul Morrill. In May Dr. Morse retired as editor, being
succeeded by A. C. Russell, who remained until August. Lauren
Upson succeeded him as editor, retiring for a time in 1853, when
John A. Collins filled the place.

November 2, 1852, the Union was burned out in the great fire.
A small press and a little type were saved and the second morning
after the fire the paper came out foolscap size, but soon resumed its
former dimensions. A brick building was erected for it on J street.
near Second. May 16, 1853, Jeffries & Kurtz sold to the other part-
ners and to James Anthony, who had been in the business depart-
ment of the paper since November, 1851. The firm became James

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 153

Anthony & Co. Keating sold to Morrill, Anthony, Clark and Lar-
kin, and in December Clark's interest passed to the firm. A steam
engine was installed Jime 20, 1853, to rim the press.

In May, 1858, Morrill sold his interest to J. Gray, and went to
New Hampshire, reiraining between one and two years, when he re-
turned and bonght back Gray's interest. In February, 1875, the
firm sold out to the Sacramento Publishing Company, which also
purchased the Sacramento Daily and Weekly Record and the two
papers assumed the title of the Sacramento Daily Record Union. Be-
sides the daily issue, the semi-weekly feature of the Record was
maintained, being issued on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Since that
time the daily has been issued on each day of the week except Sun-
days, which day was added in 1893, with a double or eight-page edi-
tion on Saturdays and a mammoth sheet on each New Year's day.

Mr. Upson remained chief editor of the Union about twelve
years. He was succeeded by H. C. Watson, who served until his
death in June, 1867, and was succeeded by Samuel Seabough, who
served until the merging of the Union with the Record. George
Frederick Parsons, editor-in-chief of the Record, then became editor-
in-chief of the Record-Union, and continued as such until his re-
moval to New York in 1883, and J. A. Woodson became the editorial
writer. When the Record was consolidated with the Union, W. H.
Mills, one of the proprietors of the Record, became the manager and
remained in charge until his removal to San Francisco in January,
1883, and C. E. Carrington was appointed local manas-ing editor,
with T. W. Sheehan business manager. April 1, 1889, Mr. Carring-
ton retired and E. B. Willis and T. W. Sheehan were appointed
general managers of the paper, the former assuming the duties of
managing editor and the latter remaining in immediate charge of
the business department. Mr. Willis continued as managing editor
for seventeen years, the longest term of anyone who held that posi-
tion, resigning to accept the secretarvship of the state commission
to the St. Louis Exposition. Mr. Sheehan remained as business man-
ager until after the paper changed hands in June, 1904, Alfred Hol-
man becoming publisher. Mr. Holman remained as publisher until
the paper was purchased by Col. E. A. Forbes in December, 1906. In
February, 1908, the paper again changed hands, the Calkins Syndi-
cate purchasing it, but becoming involved in financial difficulties
caused by broadening out and assuming the proprietorship of several
other papers in the state, the control passed from the hands of the
syndicate. In 1910 the paper was purchased by Lewey E. Bontz.
who had been superintending it for the creditors, and had been busi-
ness manager from Holman 's time. The paper is now owned by the
L. E. Bontz Publishing Company.

May 19, 1889, the publication of the Sunday Union was begun
and it was mailed to all the subscribers for the Weekly Union, the

154 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

semi-weekly having been discontinued. The fine three-story build-
ing which was built for the Union in 1861, on the east side of Third
street, is now occupied by the Union, the name of the paper having
been changed from the Record-Union to the Union by Mr. Holman
during his proprietorship. The building was remodeled by the
Calkins Syndicate during their ownership and a splendid new press
put in, besides other expensive changes.

Among the earliest of the defunct journals comes the Democratic
State Journal, the initial number appearing February 5, 1852. It
was a morning paper, about the size of the Record-Union. V. E.
Geiger & Co. were the publishers and Geiger and B. F. Washington
were the editors. It battled valiantly for the Democratic party, sup-
porting John Bigler in his political aspirations, while its contem-
porary, the Times and Transcript, supported William M. Gwin. Early
in 1853 Washington retired, and was employed on the Times and
Transcript, and B. B. Redding, afterwards land agent of the Central
Pacific Company, became editor. The destruction of the office by the
great fire of 1852 greatly impeded the paper, and in June, 1853, a
new firm was composed, consisting of B. B. Redding, P. C. Johnson,
S. J. May and James McClatch\. In April, 1854, Johnson sold to
Colonel Snowden, and in June, Mr. May sold to Redding and Snow-
den. All of these pioneer newspaper owners have been dead for many
years.

In the fall of 1854 William Walker, who afterward became known
as General Walker, of Nicaragiia filibuster fame, the "gray-eyed man
of destiny," became editor. Mr. McClatchy sold out to D. J.
Thomas in October, 1854. Walker retired in February, 1855, and Mc-
Clatchv became editor, being succeeded in a month by John White.
In 1856 Snowden sold out to Redding and Thomas and in June, 1857,
the party having failed to give adequate support to it, the paper was
sold, under attachment and bought in by the printers in the office.
It resumed publication in about four weeks, with Henry Shipley &
Co. as publishers, and after various vicissitudes yielded up the ghost
June 24, 1858. At one time it ran a column in French and was the
only Sacramento paper that had a department in a foreign tongue.

In August, 1852, T. Alter began the publication of a weekly Bap-
tist paper, with 0. C. Wheeler and E. J. Willis as editors. It had its
office in the courthouse and lived about a year, losing $3000 to its
publishers.

November 17, 1852, E. Williamson & Co., with James McClatchy
and D. J. Thoiuas as editors, started a settler Democratic daily
paper, super-royal in size and in April, 1853, S. J. May bought one-
fourth interest and became editor. It was burned out and started
again in an old deserted kitchen bought from the county for that pur-
pose. On July 30th it fused with the State Journal.

The California Statesman, a morning paper published by J. W.

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 155

Gisli & Co. and edited by Henry Meredith, started November 13,
1854. It was Democratic and supported William M. Gwin for United
States senator against Broderick. March 1, 1855, Gish & Woodward,
the publishers, sued Gwin and Ilardenbergh on a claim that they had
agreed to pay $2500 for the support of Gwin by the paper. They
alleged that Gwin also agreed to give the paper the public printing.
They placed their damages at $20,000, but were thrown out of court
on the ground that the agreement was contrary to public policy.
Hardenbergh then sued for possession and the Statesman died.

The California Farmer and Journal of Useful Science, which
had been published in San Francisco, appeared in Sacramento in
May, 1855, as a weekly paper, published by Warren & Son, and J.
K. Philips & Co. In 1856 it moved back to San Francisco.

In March, 1854, Dr. Morse and S. Colville issued the first and
only number of a monthly magazine called "Illustrated Historical
Sketches of California, with a minute liistory of the Sacramento Val-
le^^" It was a good number, but the business department was poorly
managed and the second number never appeared.

The Pacific Recorder appeared July 15, 1854, edited by E. J.
Willis and was to be the organ of the Baptist church. It was a neat
semi-monthly and July, 1855, it became a weeklj^, but in March follow-
ing it was discontinued.

June 8, 1855, the State Tribune, a daily paper, appeared, edited
and ]nihlished by Parker H. French and S. J. May. It was pro-
fessedly independent of politics, but had Democratic proclivities.
In Se]5tember French sold out to May and left with the Nicaragua
expedition. J. N. Estill became editor August 1st, and opposed John
Bigler and the Democracy so vigorously that it soon became promi-
nent as an opposition journal. French returned to the state and
bought into it again, but some of the arrangements for pa>Tnent were
left in such form that difficulty ensued. He sold to George W. Gift,
who had assigned to Monson and Valentine, who attached the paper.
S. J. May and his three remaining partners set out these things in
a card and issued a new Tribune, so that October 16, 1855, two
Tribunes appeared, each claiming to be the genuine one. May &
Co.'s issue was from the material of the defunct Statesman. The
other Tribune was published by Farwell & Co. Both papers were
ardent American or Know-Nothing sheets, and each was very bitter
against the other. The war lasted two weeks, when Farwell & Co.
Tribune gave up and the Tribune came out with James Allen & Co.,
as publishers, still advocating Know-Nothin.gism. It lived till June
1, 1856. A new paper sprang up the next day from its ashes, called
the California American, and was as radical in its Know-Nothingism
as its predecessor. James Allen, J. E. Eidge and S. J. May were
the proprietors. Allen at the time was state printer and was said to

156 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

have sunk $15,000 on the paper, which never was a success. He died
in February, 1856.

The Water Fount and Home Journal, a weekly paper, was issued
December 15, 1855, by Alexander Montgomery & Co., with Montgom-
ery as editor. It was the official organ of the Sons of Temperance
and lived only nine months.

December 6, 1855, George H. Baker and J. A. Mitchell started an
independent evening paper called the Spirit of the Age. In June,
1856, it changed its name to the Sacramento Age, and was enlarged,
with A. A. Appleton & Co. as publishers. In the summer of 1856
it was sold to the Know-Nothings and made their fight till the elec-
tion was over, dying in 1857.

December 24, 1855, A. Badlam & Co. started the Daily Evening
Times, a gratuitous advertising sheet 10x18 inches and worked on a
wooden press made bv the publishers. It died of inanition in March,
1856.

December 11, 1856, C. Babb and W. H. Harvey, with Paschal
Coggins as editor, started the publication of a daily morning inde-
pendent paper of small size, called the City Item. It lived seven
months.

Cornelius Cole & Co. commenced the publication August 15, 1856.
of the Daily Times, a morning paper. Republican in politics. It was
very lively in the canvass for Fremont, and was edited with ability.
It became an evening paper in November and issued a weekly, but
became so weakly that it succumbed January 24, 1857. Mr. Cole, the
editor, aftei'wards became United States senator.

The Chinese News, which began publication in December, 1856,
lasted for a couple of years, first being a daily, then a tri-weekly,
next a weekly and finally a monthly. It was printed in the Chinese
language, Ze Too Yune, alias Hung Tai, being editor and publisher.

The Temperance Mirror, a quarto monthly, issued one number in
January, 1857, 0. B. Turrell, publisher, and W. B. Taylor, editor.
It removed to San Francisco, where it died in March.

The Daily Morning Bee was born February 3, 1857, as an inde-
pendent in politics. J. R. Ridge and S. J. May were the editors, and
the proprietors were L. C. Chandler, L. P. Davis, John Church and
W. H. Tobey. It was much smaller than the present Bee, having but
five columns to the page. April 6, 1857, it became an evening paper,
and in the following summer Ridge retired and James McClatchy suc-
ceeded him. The firm changed in 1858 to F. S. Thompson, L. P.
Davis and W. H. Tobey and the paper changed its size to seven col-
umns. April 8, 1860, Thompson's interest was purchased by J.
O'Leary and the firm name changed to L. P. Davis & Co. Decem-
ber 28, 1863, C. H. Winterburn bought out Tobey and sold his in-
terest to James McClatchy, February 12, 1866. McClatchy bought
the interest of Davis June 26, 1872, and the firm name became, as

HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 157

at present, James McClatchy & Co. Au^st 1, 1872, J. F. Sheehan
purchased a one-third interest from McClatchy. Since that time the
paper has been further enlarged and is today one of the most pros-
perous and profitable journals in the history of Sacramento. James
McClatchy admitted his son, Charles K. McClatchy, to a partner-
ship in the business and the firm members were then J. F. Sheehan,
James McClatchy and C. K. McClatchy. October 23, 1882, James
McClatchy died at Paraiso Springs, leaving his title and interest in
the paper to his wife and two sons. January 29, 1884, J. F. Shee-
han sold his interest in the paper, it being purchased by the mem-
bers of the McClatchy family, the firm name remaining James Mc-
Clatchy & Co. From then on the paper was conducted by the two
sons, C. K. as managing editor and V. S. as business manager.
Steadily progressing in circulation and influence, it is one of the
afternoon papers that receive the full Associated Press report, and
is regarded as one of the most influential papers on the coast. It
put in a fast stereotyping plant in 1888, and was the first evening
paper in California to do so.

In July, 1857, the Star of the Pacific, a religious journal, Rev.
A. C. Edmonds, a Universalist minister, editor and proprietor, re-
moved from Marysville to this city. In December, 1857, it suspended
animation, revived in May, 1858, and iiassed away that fall.

The Daily State Sentinel, a Eepublicah paper, was issued in small
size July 27, 1857, by J. E. Atkins & Co., as a morning paper. In
October C. D. Hossach & Co. took hold of it and C. A. Sumner be-
came its editor. It had bright prospects for a while, but followed to
the charnel house in 1858.

C. A. Sumner, August 22, 1857, began the publication of a sheet
called the Eye Glass, but only one number appeared.

The Covenant and Odd Fellotvs' Magazine, a monthly of thirty-
two pages, started August 31, 1857, with J. D. Tilson publisher and
A. C. Edmonds, editor, but gave up the ghost with the tenth number,
in 1858.

The Temperance Register, H. Davidson & Co., began as a monthly
September, 1857, changed to a semi-monthly in October, and on De-
cember 12 became a monthly again and then died.

A Sunday paper, the Herald of the Morning, appeared in De-
cember, 1857, with J. C. McDonald & Co., publishers, and Calvin
McDonald, literary editor. It was a spiritualistic paper and passed
to the spirit land in four weeks.

The Phoenix, afterwards the UUcuitous, was a scurrilous sheet,
fathered by E. McGowan, issued as an occasional in the fall of 1857.
and as a weekly during the following winter. The hot summer
weather killed it.

The Watch Dog, a similar publication, issued January 1, 1S58,
died in the following March.

158 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

During the same March, the Sacramento Visitor, by Brown,
Ingham & Co., J. Coggins, editor, a daily evening paper of moderate
size and lively and independent in tone, began publication, but ceased
to exist Jime 1, 1858.

The Sacramento Mercury, a straight-out Democratic newspaper,
began publication March 28, 1858, with H. Foushie, publisher, and
W. S. Long, editor. It was about half the size of the Record-Union
and in the summer A. Montgomerv became its editor, but it died
October 12, 1858.

The second California Statesman took the place of the old one
in May, 1858, with S. W. Eavely, publisher, and A. C. Russell, edi-
tor, as a Democratic daily. It succumbed June 24th, the same year.

The Californian, second of that name, a neutral daily of small
size, was edited by D. J. Thomas. It was born July 9, 1858, but lived
only one week, departing Jvily 15th.

The Baptist Circular, the third effort of the Baptists to start a
paper in Sacramento, commenced in August, 1858, with Rev. J. L.
Shuck as editorial manager, but only survived until the next spring.

In 1858 and 1859 the Democracy became split into two factions
— the Lecompton and the anti-Lecompton. The contest between them
became so hot that the anti-Lecomptonites, goaded by the assaults
of Charles I. Botts from the Lecompton side, started a paper called
the Daily Register and issued every morning except Monday. It
was about the size of the Bee. Dr. Houghton furnished most of the
money and the firm was Harvey, Houghton & Co. The editors were
J. C. Zabriskie and William Bausman, who held small interests. It
was vigorous, but too scholarly and not lively enough for the times
and Bausman soon left it. The Register office was at the corner of
Fifth and J streets and the outfit and dress of the paper were good.
Houghton sunk a large amount of money in it, but the second day
before the general election that fall, it died a peaceful death.

The Register's rival, the Daily Democratic Standard, a better
paper from a purely journalistic point of view, was born February
26, 1859. J. R. Hardenbergh was its publisher and Charles T. Botts
its editor. It was a morning paper, about the size of the Record-
Union and was a vigorous exponent of the doctrine of the Lecomp-
ton faction. In July, 1859, Bolts became its proprietor. Its office
was on Third street, between I and J. June 2, 1860, it ceased its
daily issues, and for some months appeared weekly, with M. Gr.
Upton and Hon. Gr. Gorham as editors, but soon after the fall elec-
tion in 1869 it became defunct after draining the pockets of its owners.

In June, 1860, Henry Bidleman & Co. started the Daily Demo-
crat, issued from the Standard office, with M. G. Upton as editor.
It made a lively campaign, but died with the election.

June 24, 1860, F. R! Folger & Co. put forth the Daily Morning
News, a Douglas Democratic newspaper and the Folgers were its

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 159

first editors. Later, George C. Gorliam and Albert S. Evans were
its editors. It continued about nine months.

The Evening Post, published by R. W. Lewis & Co. in October,
1860, as an independent paper, subsequently became Republican in
politics. Small in size at first, it was enlarged and when it was five
months old W. S. Johnson & Co. took hold of it. Various writers
became its editors and it was discontinued September, 1861.

The Independent Order of Good Templars began the publication
of its organ. The Rescue, in San Francisco, in 1862, removing shortly
to Stockton and then to Sacramento. Its first editor was Edwin H.
Bishop. He was followed by W. H. Mills, 1864 to 1871. Then came
Albert D. Wood, of Vallejo, who conducted it till 1876 and was suc-
ceeded by Rev. George Morris of Dixon. It was removed successively
to San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Francisco again. In October,
1855, it was brought back to this city and George B. Katzenstein became
its editor. The editors of the paper were elected by the Grand Lodge
of the order or its executive committee. It has been removed from this
city since.

The Evening Star was started as a daily by J. J. Beebe, Alexander
Badlam, G. I. Foster, J. Simpson, M. M. Estee and H. C. Bidwell, May
25, 1864. It was an independent journal. It sunk under financial diffi-
culties in about three months.

The California Republican, a Democratic paper of the hard shell
variety, began publication January 4, 1863, and died a natural death
that fall. The publishers were Conley, Patrick & Co., and the editor
Beriah Brown, afterwards of the Free Press of San Francisco, which
was destroyed by a mob in the early part of 1863.

The Golden Gate, a spiritualistic weekly started by Ingham & Mc-
Donald in the spring of 1894, died soon after its birth, surviving only
a few weeks.

Judd & McDonald started a gratuitous sheet called the Advertiser,
in 1860, but it lived only a few weeks.

December 23, 1866, Alexander Montgomery removed the California
Express, a Democratic journal he had been publishing at Marysville,
to this city, expecting patronage from the then dominant party. He
did not receive it, however, and the paper, which was issued as a morn-
ing daily, died in July, 1867.

The Sacramento Daily Record, published by an association of
printers composed of J. J. Keegan, John L. Sickler, J. R. Dray and
R. E. Draper, first appeared as an independent evening paper Felnmary
9, 1867. Its first editor was Draper, who was succeeded in about a
month by W. S. Johnson. He remained about a year and was succeeded
by J. B. McQuillan, who gave way in a few months to R. A. Bird. The
paper was subsequently sold to "William H. Mills and A. D. Wood.
Mr. Wood was afterwards manager of the Record-Union. A portion
of the then and subsequent Record editorial staff, as also a portion of

160 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

the Sacramento Union's then and subsequent staff, afterwards com-
posed the Record-Union staff. Among these was E. B. Willis, who had
been a member of the Union statf, and also of the Record staff. The
Record became a morning paper December 2, 1867. At first it was a
small five-column sheet, but after being enlarged several times finally
attained the present size of the Record-Union. During the winter of
1871 and 1872 the Record distinguished itself by the fullest and most
elaborate phonographic reports of legislative joroceedings ever pub-
lished in the United States, frequently printing morning after morning
nineteen columns of solid nonpareil of the proceedings of the Senate
and House. For several years the Union had published annual New
Year's statistical sheets. The Record entered the same field January 1,
]873, and eclipsed its rival by publishing the largest and fullest holi-
day statistical sheet ever published in the United States to that time.
Each year afterwards until 1906 it and its successor issued a similar
mammoth paper. It was the first daily paper here to publish and main-
tain a semi-weekly edition. The contest for patronage and public
favor was very warm between the Record and the Union for years,
and until they were consolidated in February, 1875. Thereafter the
consolidation was known as the Record-Union.

The Expositor, published by C. D. Semple, as a daily and old-line
Democratic paper, appeared July 23, 1867, and died the 9th of Sep-
tember.

February 24, 1864, Richard Bowden published a juvenile paper,
The Young American, as a weekly. It ceased publication eleven weeks
after, on the death of Mr. Bowden, who was accidentally killed.

Several other weekly papers, of a local character, were published
about this time, viz: My Paper, Pioneer, Blusterer, The Anti-Office
Seeker, a lot of State Fair papers, the Sunday Times, Hesperian, Stu-
dents' Repository, and others.

Charles De Young, afterwards of the San Francisco Chronicle,
began the publication in the winter of 1864, of the Dramatic Chronicle,
a gratuitous daily advertising sheet of small dimensions. He removed
it to San Francisco about nine months later, enlarged it and published
it until the Daily San Francisco Chronicle grew up from it, the old
Dramatic Chronicle being swallowed up by the Figaro of San Francisco,
published by J. P. Bogardus.

The Traveler's Guide was published as an advertising sheet weekly
by L. Samuels and N. Towns in 1865. T. W. Stanwell began in the
same year the monthlv Railroad Gazetter, published bv H. S. Crocker
& Co. '

The State Capital Reporter, a daily Democratic paper, appeared
January 12, 1868, with a glowing announcement of its plans, and nomi-
nated H. H. Haight for President of the United States. By legislative
enactment it became the litigant paper, in which all summonses had to
be published. While this gave it a good income, it rendered it obnox-

HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 161

ious to the entire press of the State and made it unpopular with the
people. The act of February 21, 1872, repealed the litigant act and
deprived the Reporter of its fat job. It ceased to appear as a daily,
sending out its last daily issue May 7, 1872, when the law took effect.
Thereafter it issued a half sheet once a week, to run out the legal adver-
tisements on hand and July 30, 1872, it gave up the ghost quietly. It
was 23ub]ished by a joint stock company and lost money for every one
who touched it. At first it was controlled by John Bigler, and its first
editor was Henry George, afterward of the San Francisco Post, who
became widely known to the world as the author of "Progress and
Poverty," and the chief ai30stle of the land theory of single tax. The
paper was edited with much ability and for a long time was a vigorous
periodical. J. F. Linthicam, an old editor, still living in this city, suc-
ceeded Mr. George, and kept up the able tone of the paper. Jolm Bigler,
ex-governor of California, who about this time had returned from Chile,
where he had filled the post of minister, was editor of the Reporter some
months before it died and conducted it with vigor and dignity. O. T.
Shuck was its last editor.

The Sacramento Democrat was a small daily born August 3, 1871;
died Sejitember 5, 1871, just after the election. It was started under
the auspices of a publishing company, with Cameron H. King as editor
and its office was at the corner of Third and J streets.

The Locomotive was a six-column weekly advertiser and local pa-
per which was excellent in its way and did a prosperous business for
some months with E. L. Lawrence as the manager in the spring of 1873.
Its office was on J street between Second and Third streets. T. F. Case
bought a half interest and subsequently the whole interest, selling half
of it to Dr. A. P. Truesdell, who became editor. The name of the
paper was changed to that of the People's Champion, but in the
summer of 1874 it threw up the sponge and was counted among the
dead ones.

The only foreign paper, with one exception, published in Sacra-
mento prior to 1885, was the Semi-weekly Sacramento Journal (German)
published by K. F. Wiemeyer & Co., and edited by Mr. AViemeyer. Its
first number came out June 6, 1868, and it had a successful career for
many years. The Sacramento office was at No. 314 J street and about
1890 Wiemeyer & Co. established an office in Oakland, publishing the
paper at both places simultaneously. It was Eepublican in tone and
independent in its utterances.

H. B. Eddy early in 1873 started a small weekly paper called the
Valley World. It aimed at literary excellence, and was neatly printed
and critical. Mr. Eddy died that fall, and the paper was continued for
a few weeks, being ably edited by Eev. J. H. C. Bonte, Eector of
Grace Church and afterwards secretary of the University of California,
since deceased.

The Evening News, a daily, Sundays excepted, and neutral, was

162 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

first published March 26, 1869, by B. F. Huntley & Co. Vincent Ryan,
a member of the firm, did most of the writing, with Frank Folger and
W. S. Johnson in the other departments. The paper died in three
months.

The Sunday Free Press was started in February, 1873, by Beers
& Co., but its initial appearance was also its last, although it was a
lively number, local and jolly, and its proprietors mourned its loss for
grave financial reasons.

In February, 1874, the Sacramento Valley Agriculturist began its
existence as a monthly, with Davis and Stockton as editors and pub-
lishers. In June, 1874, it changed to a weekly and the next month it
bought up the old Champion material and was enlarged considerably.
April 15, 1875, Davis sold his interest to W. T. Crowell. The paper
was devoted entirely to agricultural matters, with a city edition on Sun-
day mornings, and some local news. It ceased publication many
years ago.

The Occidental Star, a weekly paper of four pages, devoted to the
interest of the return of the Jews to Palestine, began in January, 1873,
and ran for about five months, with Mrs. L. I. L. Adams as proprietor.

The Winning Way was a weekly paper edited and published by
Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Potter and devoted to the cause of woman and
sociability. It was started in September, 1873, and went the way of
many others in February, 1874.

Common Sense was piiblished as a weekly of four pages by Dr.
A. P. Truesdell in January, 1873, and discontinued in March, 1874, but
was afterwards revived and published in San Francisco.

The Mercantile Globe was an advertising sheet published by Byron
& Co., August, 1872, and changed to the Sacramento Globe October 18,
and published by Kelly & Farland. It ran for several months, sus-
pended, and was again started by Raye & Ford, December 5, continuing
weekly until April 17, 1875, being afterwards published at intervals
by B. v. R. Raye.

The California Teacher was started by the State Board of Edu-
cation about 1877, being purchased from the San Francisco Teachers'
Association. It has had a checkered existence since, with various pub-
lishers, as a state journal, under various titles.

The State Fair Gazette has been published by H. S. Crocker &
Co. for a number of years at the annual State Fair, as an advertising
sheet distributed gratuitously.

The Evening Herald was started March 8, 1875, as a small evening
paper, independent in policy. The publishers were Gardner, Larkin,
Fellows, and Major E. A. Rockwell, a well-known journalist of wide
experience, as editor. He had formerly occupied a position on the
Morning Call of San Francisco and had served a time in the legislature
creditably.

The Enterprise was started as a Sunday morning paper, by Crites,

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 163

Davis and Alexander, August 29, 1875. It was well conducted and vig-
orous, but the proprietors were handicapped by not finding a business
manager to suit them and ceased publication with the ninth issue. It
was printed from the old Reporter t3^e.

The Seminary Budget, an occasional publication by the young ladies
of the Sacramento Seminary, was issued for some years, attaining some
literary excellence and doing credit to its student editors.

The Business College Journal was issued occasionally for a number
of years by E. C. Atkinson, lately deceased.

The Sunday Leader appeared in October, 1875, issued by J. N.
Larkin, who retained his connection with it as editor and proprietor
until his decease in May, 1911, since which time his son, W. H. Larkin,
who had been associated with him for some years, under the firm name
of J. N. Larkin & Son, continues its publication. In 188-4-5 it was the
official paper of the county. In politics it has always been straight
Republican. Mr. Larkin was a veteran of the Civil War, straightfor-
ward and uncompromising, and had a host of warm friends who re-
gretted his passing away. The Leader is a neat sheet, 28x42 inches,
and presents a creditable appearance.

The Daily Sun was started as a workingTQan 's organ immediately
after the adjournment of the legislature of 1879, which provided for a
constitutional convention. It was published by a company of stockhold-
ers, with William Halley as manager. When the delegates to the con-
vention were elected and he was defeated, he withdrew from the man-
agement. A new company was formed and J. F. Clark continued as
editor for a few months, when the paper ceased publication.

The Sunday Capital was started in 1883 by J. L. Robinette and
C. C. Goode. It was a four-page folio, independent in politics and
devoted to news and literature. After about a year Robinette disposed
of his interest to William Ellery, but six months later it was discon-
tinued.

The Sacramento Medical Times, afterwards changed to the Occi-
dental Medical Times, was a large octavo monthly started in March,
1887, by five physicians and has been a successful publication. J. H.
Parkinson, M.D., has been its editor-in-chief for many years and among
his associates have been W. A. Briggs, William Ellery Briggs, W. R.
Cluness, Thomas A. Himtington and G. L. Simmons of Sacramento;
J. F. Morse, W. H. Mays, Albert Abrams, W. Watt Kerr and D. W.
Montgomery of San Francisco, and J. W. Robinson of Napa. Of late
years Drs. Cluness and Hunting-ton have been residents of San Fran-
cisco. Dr. Simmons died in 1911.

The Daily Evening Journal was beg-un July 4, 1888, by H. A.
Weaver and ran until October 1 following. It was devoted to general
news and literature.

Charles Schmitt issued the first number of the Nord-California
Herald, a German paper, September 5, 1885, and it has taken front rank

164 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

among the German papers of tlie state. Mr. Schmitt came to this state
in 1865, and after mining several years, became one of the founders
of the Abend Post, the second German daily published in San Francisco.
In May, 1868, he came to Sacramento and founded the Sacramento
Journal (German) and continued with it till 1881. Mr. Schmitt is a
ready writer of wide experience and intelligence and his paper has a
powerful influence in the field it occupies.

Themis was an able eight-page quarto Sunday paper, published in
the interest of Sacramento and devoted to dramatic and governmental
criticism and miscellany. It was printed with large type and on the
finest paper. It was started in February, 1889, by Winfield J. Davis,
W. A. Anderson and George A. Blanchard. The editors were among
the early residents of the city and county, thoroughly conversant with
its history in all respects, and eminently fitted for the task they had
undertaken. The paper enjoyed a reputation for exceptional literary
ability and the cessation of its publication in 1894 on account of a
division of opinion between its proprietors as to the policy of the paper
during the great railroad strike of that year, was regretted by a wide
circle of citizens, who had enjoyed the perusal of its columns.

In the early part of 1856 Dr. Bradley established the Granite
Journal at Folsom, Granite being at that time the name of what is now
known as Folsom. He conducted the paper for several years and it
became one of the most widely known papers in the state in that day of
only a few newspapers. When the name of the town was changed from
Granite to Folsom, the Journal changed its name to the Folsom Tele-
graph. The paper also changed hands about the same time, William
Penry, afterwards treasurer of Amador county, becoming the editor
and proprietor, being succeeded several years later by William Aveling.
When Mr. Aveling died, his widow conducted the paper for a time, but
soon sold it to Peter J. Hopper. About 1872 John F. Howe purchased
the paper and from his death ten years later until July 19, 1884, Mrs.
Howe held ownership. It then passed into the hands of Weston P.
Truesdell, and he published it alone until August 1, 1888, when I. Fiel
joined him. Thej^ conducted the paper until March 16, 1889, when Mr.
Fiel purchased the entire interest and soon after sold out to Thad
McFarland. Since the death of Mr. McFarland, May 4, 1894, his widow
has been the owner. The paper has been ably conducted by their son,
R. D. McFarland, as editor and manager, and has been enlarged from
six columns to seven.

The Gait Gazette has been in existence for a number of years and
has a fair circulation in the southern end of the county.

The Daily Evening Netvs was started in 1890, by John Dormer, a
well-known newspaper man of Nevada, and Wells Drury, also a jour-
nalist from the same state. Under their management the paper was
published for two years. It was then purchased by John A. Sheehan
and June B. Harris, who had been for many years attached to the

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 165

editorial staff of the Daily Evening Bee. Sheehan and Harris were
very capable newspapermen and the Daily Netvs prospered under their
management. Their financial backers became interested in a plan to
have the city water works pass into the hands of private interests, and
as parf of the bargain for the support of other newspapers, the Daily
News was suspended immediately after an election at which the people
voted to substitute well water for that supplied from the river by their
own works. The plan was blocked and ultimately fell through.

Soon after the suspension of the Daily Evening Neivs, in 1893, the
Sunday News was started by Messrs. Sheehan and Harris, and was a
pronounced success from the date of the first issue. About two years
later Harris died, and his interest in the publication was purchased
by Winfield J. Davis. In May, 1897, the Sunday Neivs was sold to the
News Publishing Co., its present owner. Its size and pages were en-
larged and a large modern iDublishing plant was eqiiipped for its issu-
ance with other printing and important publications. Mr. Sheehan
continued as its editor until his decease in 1910. He was succeeded
by Ennnet Phillips, his former partner and editorial associate, who is
at present editing the Sunday News, assisted by John H. Miller, for-
merly of the Evening Bee. The plant of the News Publishing Co. is
one of the largest in this part of the state, and the Sunday Neivs is
probably the most widely read and ciuoted weekl}^ newspaper in Northern
California. The present owners are Emmet Phillips, A. A. Trueblood
and John H. Miller.

The Sacramento Star was started November 21, 1904, being fur-
nished by the Scripps-McRae telegraphic service, the Associated Press
franchise for the city being owned exclusively by the Union and the
Bee. It is under the management of E. W. Scripps, who is the owner
of a large number of papers on the coast and in the west. It started
as a four-page, seven-column paper, printed on a flat press and in-
creased successively to eight, ten and twelve pages of eight columns,
in June, 1907, and subsequently. Henry White is editor and E. H. Car-
penter general manager. The paper has grown steadily in prosperity
and importance.

Several papers printed in foreig-n languages are being published
in this citj'.

CHAPTER XXIII

EDUCATIONAL MATTERS

It is an accepted fact among the educators throughout the country
that Sacramento has always kept abreast of the times in matters educa-
tional and the events of the past few years haA'e emphasized the fact.
One of the first things noted in the history of the city in the days of
the first rush of immigrants to the land of gold, was the establishment
of a school in the summer of 1849, when the fevered quest for the yel-

166 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

low metal pervaded all men's minds to almost the total exclusion of all
other sentiments. And Sacramento has fully kept pace with progress
along educational lines ever since, the last action of the city in voting
bonds to the amount of $800,000 for new schools and playgrounds for
her children being a patent evidence that her people were keenly alive
to the importance of directing the rising generation into the pathway
leading to intelligence and good citizenship. Destroyed several times
by fire, grown decrepit by age, stunted by cramped quarters and
needing more room for the constantly increasing number of children
seeking knowledge, the school buildings have time after time risen
like the Phoenix from their ashes, or given place to more modern
and commodious ones. Manual training, domestic science and gym-
nastic training have usurped in late years the time and attention for-
merly given to fossilizecl studies and ideas and the watchword of
"Progress" has shouldered out of the way the old and obsolete fea-
tures that had retarded advancement. Our boys are today being
fitted for the battle of life by the employment of their minds, eyes
and hands in a practical way, instead of turning them out upon their
struggle for a livelihood with their heads crammed with a mass of
knowledge that can be utilized only in certain directions and in a
very limited field. Our girls are being trained in the arts that pertain
to the home and its comforts and conveniences. The arts of cooking
and sewing, which have become almost lost arts in the feminine part
of the community, and on which the comfort and harmony of the
household so greatly depend, have been resuscitated and given their
proper place in the economy of our daily lives, and the growing gen-
eration of womanhood is being better fitted for wifehood and mother-
hood.

The influence for good these things will exert on the next gen-
eration can hardly be calculated and must result in a great betterment
of future economic conditions. The struggle for existence is becoming
yearly more arduous and our children must be so trained as to be
better fitted to encounter its future difficulties. Practical education,
then, is necessarily taking the place of that" which in the past was
largely theoretical and impractical.

Tlie first school recorded in the liistory of our city was opened
in August, 1849, by C. T. H. Palmer. Rev. J. A. Benton, who was
the first pastor of the Congregational Church in Sacramento, has
given an interesting account of the first educational ventures in Sac-
ramento, as follows: "C. T. H. Palmer, formerly of Folsom, taught
the first school, so far as I know, that was ever taught in Sacramento.
He taught during the month of August, 1849, and then abandoned the
business.' I do not know how many pupils he had, but the number
could not have exceeded ten. I purchased from him in September the
benches and furniture he had used, and opened the same school again
October 15, 1849, at the same place in which he kept it. The place

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 167

was on I street, in a building owned by Prof. F. Shepherd. The struc-
ture was a one-story house about 14x28 feet, covered at the ends
with rough clapboards, and the roof and sides were covered with old
sails from some craft tied up at the bank of the river. Some 'shakes'
and 'pickets' were nailed over the places not covered by the sails,
close to the ground. The doorway was covered by a piece of canvas
fastened at the top and dropping before the opening. There was no
floor but the ground, and that was by no means level. The school house
stood on the brink of the slough, or 'Lake Sutter,' near the northeast
corner of Third and I streets. It was about sixty feet east of the east
side of Third street and the southern side of it encroached a few feet
on I street. I street was not then passable for wagons. The remains
of a coalpit were in the middle of I street, a few yards eastward from
the building. A small and crooked oak tree stood at the eastern end
of the schoolhouse, close to it and near the door. A sycamore tree and
some shrubs of ash and elder grew out of the bank on the northern
side and close to the building. The filling up of I street and the
advent of the Chinese now obliterate every trace of the building and
its exact site. My school opened with four pupils, and increased to
six, then to eight or nine. I do not think it ever exceeded twelve.
By stress of weather and other circumstances I was compelled to close
the school the 1st of December, 1849. That was the end of my en-
deavors in the way of school teaching. It is my imiiression that
Crowell opened a school in the spring of 1850, but it might have been
during the following autumn. In the spring there were enough fami-
lies to make school teaching desirable, and the weather and other
circumstances were such as to make it practicable. I know of no other
schools in 1849 than Palmer's and mine."

Up to 1854 the public schools had been merged into those of the
county, and were under the supervision of the county assessor, by
virtue of his office. The state school law provided for a supervising
school committee in each city, town and incorporated village. The
attempt made in Sacramento to establish a common school under that
law failed and in 1852 the legislature repealed that law and passed
a new one, which gave to cities and incorporated towns the control of
the common schools within their limits, with a provision that if the
municipal authorities did not exercise that power the county assessor
should have charge of them and be ex-officio county superintendent.
This act was amended April 26, 1853, and in that year the county
assessor. H. J. Bidleman, appointed under the law as amended a board
of school commissioners for the city consisting of Dr. H. W. Harkness.
G. J. Phelan and George Wiggins.

Judging from the articles in the newspapers of that dav, fre-
quentlv demanding that the commissioners do their dutv and open
a public school, they must have been very dilatory in establishing the

168 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

schools. At last, in February, 1854, the following advertisement ap-
peared :

"Public School. The citizens of Sacramento are hereby notified
that the school commissioners for this city will open a public school on
the southeast corner of Fifth and K streets, on Monday morning,
February 20, 1854, at 9 o'clock. G. H. Peck will have charge of the
male department, and Miss Griswold of the female department. By
order of the Commissioners of Common Schools."

The school was opened on the day designated and was the first
public school opened in this city. The day of co-education had not
then arrived, and two rooms were occupied, one by the boys and the
other by the girls. The school opened on the first day with fifty boys
and forty girls in attendance. Most of them were between seven and
nine years old and the greater portion had never attended school
before. The attendance increased rapidly and on the fourth day
there were ninety boys and seventy girls in attendance. It was found
that the school was growing so fast that there was not room for
the accommodation of the pupils and soon there were 200 on the roll.
The building not being large enough to accommodate all, another
school was opened in an old building known as the Indiana House on
I street, near Tenth, and the board appointed A. R. Jackson as
teacher. This school in turn became too crowded, and another
building was leased, on the corner of Tenth and G streets. The girls
of the I street school were removed to this place and placed in charge
of M. E. Corby. On June 19 a school for girls and boys was opened
near the corner of Seventh and K streets, W. A. Murray being placed
in charge. The attendance still increasing, a primary school was
opened in the rear of the Fifth street school, in a building formerly
occupied as a mechanic's shop, and the care of the pupils was con-
fided to Miss A. E. Roberts.

And still the movement grew. In July, 1854, it is stated that
there were 261 pupils attending the public schools, and 250 in private
schools. The day of the children had come, and the city was becoming
a city of homes instead of men only. From this time on the advance
in the cause of education was rapid. October 2, 1854, the city council
passed an ordinance which had been drafted by N. A. H. Ball and
which provided for the election of a city superintendent of schools
and a board of education. The board was to assume the control of
the city schools, which had heretofore been controlled by the county
assessor.

The council elected Dr. H. W. Harkness superintendent, and N. A.
H. Ball, George Wiggins and Dr. T. A. Thomas trustees or members
of the board, which organized on the 1st of the following month,
Harkness occupying the chair and Ball being secretary. At this
meeting the board estimated the school income and expenses necessary
for the ensuing year at $22,000. A controversy arose between the

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 169

county superintendent and the board, the former declining to sur-
render control of the schools on the ground that it would deprive him
of his $1,000 salary. The jiiatter was finally adjusted and on Decem-
ber 7th the county commissioners and Superintendent Bidleman for-
mally surrendered all the public schools in the city, the city board
agreeing to liquidate all indebtedness. On the 11th the county super-
intendent and commissioners resigned their offices and the city board
assumed full control of the schools.

On November 25, 1854, the following teachers were elected by
the new board: For the Second Ward female grammar school, Miss
Anderson; Second Ward female primary school. Miss Frost; Second
Ward Male grammar school, G. H. Peck; Third Ward male grammar
school, A. R. Jackson. The first common school house was erected
on the corner of Tenth and H streets, lapon land tendered free by
John H. Gass, A. B. Asper contracting to build it in fifteen days for
$1,487. It was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies, January 20,
1855. February 5, 1855, a primary school was established at Eleventh
and I streets, with Mrs. Eliza A. Wright as teacher. The board
apportioned scholars to the different schools, to the number of 574.
The teachers were to register the applicants and if the pupil absented
himself for more than a week without good cause the board and the
parents were to be notified, his name dropped and the next applicant
on the list admitted. Dr. Harkness in his first report showed accom-
modations for only 414 pupils — 157 boys, 157 girls and 100 primary
scholars. Five hundred and seventy-eight pupils had made application
to enter, and the accommodations were insufficient, there being an
average attendance of 46.3.

In March, 1855, the authority to elect the board was taken from
the council and given to the people by legislative act, the number of
commissioners being increased to six. At the first election in April,
1855, Francis Tukey was elected superintendent, and R. P. Johnson,
H. Houghton, F. A. Hatch, J. F. Morse, George W. Wooley and George
Wiggins commissioners. The new board organized April 11th, the
salaries of teachers being at that time $1,350 monthly. On the 15th
Lee & Marshall's circus gave a benefit to the schools, netting $321,
and subsequently gave other benefits. The schools grew rapidly and
on May 5th the new board elected teachers, there being ten principals
and two assistants. In February, 1856, Tukey resigned as superin-
tendent and F. W. Hatch was elected in his place, William E. Cham-
berlain being elected commissioner in place of Hatch. The report of
Superintendent Hatch on March 18th showed that in the six grammar
schools there were 199 boys and 267 girls, a total of 466; average
attendance 254. In the five primary schools there were 270 boys and
234 girls; total 504, average attendance 250. Twelve of the pupils
were born in California and one in Cliina. From Illinois came 93.

170 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

Early this year came W. H. Watson who succeeded Mr. Wooiey as
a member of the board.

A superintendent and board of commissioners were elected in
April, 1856, and met on the 11th. It consisted of F. W. Hatch, re-
elected superintendent; Dr. C. Burrell, David Maddux, John F. Dre-
man, J. F. Thompson, A. Montgomery and C. H. Bradford. On May
12th the board apportioned $25 a month for the colored school, which
was to be taught by J. B. Anderson. This was the first aid the colored
school had received. In November J. B. Harmon succeeded Burrell.
The report of Superintendent Hatch showed studies pursued in the
various schools as follows : Grammar, 312 ; arithmetic, 612 ; reading,
821 ; spelling, 843 ; writing, 538 ; geography, 372 ; history, 103 ; algebra,
63; Latin, 28; chemistry, 39; geometry, 4; composition, 227; declama-
tion, 151.

A new board consisting of J. G. Lawton, superintendent; Samuel
Cross, R. A. Pearis, David Murray, H. J. Bidleman, P. W. S. Rayles
and J. G. Simmons, commissioners, took their places. In the latter
part of 1857 the building of the Franklin grammar school, at Sixth
and L streets, now known as the old Armory, was begun. December
22nd the corner stone was laid in the presence of a large assemblage,
under the auspices of the Masons. The lot cost $4,500 and the building
$7,500.

May 4, 1858, the school directors, composed of the board of educa-
tion appointed under the Consolidation Act, held their first meeting
and elected Samuel Cross president and Dr. Simmons secretary.
Daniel J. Thomas was appointed a director by the board of super-
\dsors in place of Dr. R. A. Pearis, but the board of education de-
clared the appointment illegal.

The board of education organized October 4, 1858, consisted of
G. J. Phelan, A. G. Richardson,"H. J. Bidleman, T. M. Morton, H. B.
Osborne, G. I. N. Monell, John Hatch and G. L. Simmons; Phelan,
president. Hatch did not qualify and the board of supervisors elected
David Meeker to fill his place. Dr. Simmons resigned in January,
1859, and was succeeded by C. A. Hill. Early in 1859 a school build-
ing was erected at a cost of $3,800, at Thirteenth and G streets and
named the Washington school house. Secretary Bidleman was re-
moved May 9th, and was succeeded by Monell.

A new board met October 3, 1859, consisting of Cyril Hawkins,
H. J. Bidleman, J. M. Frey, G. L. Simmons, J. J. Murphy, G. I.
N. Monell, D. J. Thomas and Henry McCreary. Dr. Frey was presi-
dent and Monell secretary. An unsuccessful attempt was made to
establish a Normal School, to be taught two days in the week. At the
close of the year there were one high, four grammar, two pri-
mary and intermediate, and six primary schools in the city. Scholars
enrolled, 1031, with an average attendance of 790. Fifteen teachers
were employed, one assistant and ten monitors, salaries amounting

I

HISTORY OP SACBAMENTO COUNTY 171

to $1,850 a month, the board believing the monitorial system less
expensive and giving more teachers.

The board of education for 1860 met December 3rd, with G.
Taylor, J. F. Crawford, H. Miller, J. M. Frey, J. M. Milliken, A. C.
Sweetzer, S. M. Mouser and J. Bithell members; Miller president and
Sweetzer secretary. It discharged all the teachers and monitors,
graded the schools, decided that male teachers should be employed
as principals of the high school and of the first grade of the grammar
school. J. W. Anderson was elected principal of the Franklin gram-
mar school and Miss Doyle his assistant. June 7, 1861, Anderson
was elected principal of the high school, and Mr. Templeton to fill
his place in the Franklin school.

January 6, 1862, the board organized was composed of J. P.
Dreman, D. J. Thomas, W. Bidwell, H. Miller, W. H. Hill, J. M.
Milliken, S. M. Mouser and Edward Collins ; Hill, president. In March
Mrs. Folger was elected teacher of the colored school, the board vot-
ing to pay her salary whenever the building and furniture should be
furnished by the parents interested. On the 3rd of March the schools,
which had been considerably" damaged by the flood, reopened, except
the one at Sixteenth and N streets, which was still surrounded by
water. Mouser resigned and his place was filled by J. T. Peck. The
schoolhouse at Tenth and P streets was erected, at a cost of $2,500.

The board elected in January, 1863, comjDrised Edward Collins,
John F. Dreman, W. H. Hill, H. H. Hartley, Paul Morrill, D. J.
Thomas, W. Bidwell and H. J. Bidleman. Hill was president. At the
close of the year 1093 pupils were enrolled, average attendance, 795.
The graduating class numbered 215. Pupils in the colored school, 32,
average attendance 27. A building for the colored school was erected
at Fifth and 0 streets, but was set on fire by an incendiary and con-
sumed with its contents. Total disbursements for the eleven schools,
$24,483.57.

In January, 1864, W. Bidwell, M. C. Briggs, J. H. Carroll, J. F.
Crawford, Henry H. Hartley, Paul Morrill, O. D. Lambard and II. J.
Bidleman composed the board, which elected Briggs president. When
the year closed the number of schools had increased to thirteen—-
six primary, three intermediate, one high, one grammar, one ungraded
and one colored, with 1202 pupils in attendance, 919 of whom were
born in the state. The intermediate school at Thirteenth and G streets
was opened, as also an ungraded one at Twenty-ninth and J streets.
The board, in compliance with a petition from the colored people,
placed their school on the same footing as the white schools, except
as to grade. The expenses for the vear were $28,660.08; receipts,
$27,276.86.

The board of 1865 organized in January, with M. C. Briggs,
W. E. Chamberlain, 0. D. Lambard, Eugene Soule, J. W. Avery,
J. li. Carroll, J. W. Crawford and Paul Morrill. Briggs was re-

172 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

elected president. The Union schoolhouse at Seventh and G streets
was completed and accepted February 7th. J. L. Fogg was chosen
principal of the gTammar school, Mr. Templeton being made prin-
cipal of the high school. The total number of pupils had increased to
1458, of which 870 were born in the state. The first story of the
Union high school was completed May 1st, and two schools moved in.
Cost, $15,786.56. Receipts, $31,489.35. Expenses, $34,459.68.

In January, 1866, the new board organized, with J. W. Avery,
W. E. Chamberlain, Paschal H. Coggins, John F. Dreman, G. R.
Moore, 0. D. Lambard, Paul Morrill and Eugene Soule, directors;
president, W. E. Chamberlain. The close of the year showed 1524
pupils enrolled, 1010 born in the state. There were now fourteen
schools in the city. H. H. Howe was elected principal of the grammar
school, Fogg having resigned. A schoolhouse for colored children
was erected costing $700, and a frame schoolhouse at Ninth and M
streets, costing $3946, and school was opened there Augl^st 1st. Re-
ceipts for the year, $34,443.31; expenditures, $32,136.43, receipts for
the first time exceeding expenses.

The board of 1867 was composed of the same members, Paul
Morrill being president. At the close of the year 1736 children were
on the rolls, 1227 born in California and 457 elsewhere. Early in
the year the Lincoln school building was erected, the cost being
$8049.69. In March $200 was set aside from the state apportion-
ment for a school library. About 250 volumes were purchased and
the number has increased yearly since. Lambard resigned and was
replaced by John F. Crawford, and Soule resigning, David S. Ross
was elected in his place. Receipts, $33,639 ; expenditures, $44,207.

In 1868 the board was: J. F. Crawford, Joseph Davis, J. W.
Avery, Henry Miller, D. S. Ross, F. A. Gibbs, Paschal H. Coggins
and Horace Adams. Miller was president. The year closed with
1727 names enrolled, — 920 boys and 807 girls, — with an average at-
tendance of 1142. Born in the state 1241. Receipts, $43,194.68; ex-
penses, $48,362.

In Februarv, 1869, the board was : J. F. Crawford, J. W. Avery,
P. B. Redding," Henry Miller, David S. Ross, F. A. Gibbs, W. L.
Campbell and Henry McCreary; Miller, president. The year closed
with 2200 pupils enrolled — 1128 boys and 1072 girls; average at-
tendance 1584. A wooden addition was made to the school building
at Thirteenth and G streets, but within a fortnight it was destroyed
by an incendiary fire, together with the old building, and the school
had to be continued in other quarters until the new two-story brick
building for the school could be completed. It cost $13,720 and was
known as the Washington school. A wooden addition was also made
to Franklin schoolhouse. In November 400 German citizens peti-
tioned the board to introduce the German language into the schools,
which was done. Arnold Dulon being elected teacher, with fifteen

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 173

pupils iu the high school and one hundred and ninety in the grammar
school. At the close of the year there were seventeen schools in the
city — one high, one grammar with four grades, four intermediate,
nine primaries, one ungraded and one colored. Recepits, $78,000.94;
expenditures, $77,840.44.

In 1870 the board was composed of John H. Dreman, J. W. Avery,
Henry Miller, David S. Eoss, F. A. Gibbs, Daniel Brown, J. F. Mont-
gomery and B. B. Redding, with Miller as president. H. H. Howe
resigned the principalship of the grammar school and A. H. Mc-
Donald was elected to the position, two new departments being added.
A two-story brick schoolhouse was erected at Sixteenth and N streets,
at a cost of $9,000, but a few days after its completion it was set on
fire and destroyed. The board immediately erected another, which
was completed the following year. The yearly roll showed 1219 boys
and 1137 girls; total, 2356. Eeceipts, $81,115.51. Expenditures. $80,-
770.47.

The next board organized January 26,1871, was composed of W.

C. Stratton, J. W. Avery, E. T. Taylor, D. S. Eoss, Henry Miller,
Daniel Brown, J. F. Montgomery and Henry C. Kirk, Montgomery
being president. The pupils increased in number to 2458 — 1249 boys
and i209 girls. There were now twenty schools in the city and receipts
for the year were $72,810 and expenses, $71,351.

In i872 the board was: Henry C. Kirk, W. C. Stratton, Henry
Miller, E. T. Taylor, E. I. Eobinson, John F. Dreman, C. H. Cum-
mings and H. K. Snow; Miller, president. Judge E. B. Crocker ac-
quired the ground on which the schoolhouse at Second and P streets
stood, and the school was removed to Fourth and Q streets. The
city donated the public square between I and J, Fifteenth and Six-
teenth streets, and the present commodious brick building, known as
the Sacramento granmiar school, was erected at a cost of $60,000, to
accommodate the other grammar schools. George Eowland was
elected a member of the board, vice Stratton, resigned. Underwood
resigned as principal of the grammar school and A. H. McDonald suc-
ceeded him. The board decided to open a night school in the two
lower rooms of the Franklin grammar school, at Sixth and K streets.

In 1873 the board consisted of C. H. Cummings, J. F. Dreman,
James I. Felter, E. I. Eobinson, H. K. Snow, George Eowland, Felix
Tracy and B. B. Eedding; Cummings presiding. The census showed
3389 children between five and fifteen years of age, with 3053 en-
rolled; average attendance, 1810. Receipts, $73,952; expenses, $67,300.

The board as organized in 1874 consisted of C. H. Cummings,

D. W. Welty, J. F. Dreman, J. I. Felter, George Eowland, Felix
Tracy, George Waite and W. F. Knox; Tracy presiding. A new
course of study gave two grades in the primary schools, instead of
three. Intermediate School No. 5 and Primary School No. 10 were
organized and an additional assistant was employed at the gram-

174 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

mar school. The high school opened with a new corps of teachers and
118 ]mpils. ■ A truant officer was employed in September with good
results. Mr. Straube resigned as German teacher and A. H. linger
was elected. The receipts were $95,041; disbursements, $122,249, and
the deficit of $27,208 was met with borrowed money.

January, 1875, the new board as organized consisted of C. H.
Cummings, J. F. Dreman, Albert Hart, W. F. Knox, T. M. Lindley,
J. F. Montgomery, Felix Tracy and George S. Waite; Tracy pre-
siding. Superintendent Hinkson reported the receipts as $68,946.05
and the expenditures, $57,579.72. Total number enrolled, 2633; av-
erage attendance, 2143; born in California, 2134. The cost for each
pupil was estimated at $21.86. The Union and Lincoln and other
schoolhouses were re]iaired during the year. The superintendent's
report showed the schools to compare favorably with those of the
other states, and the system of weekly and monthly examinations was
instituted with satisfactory results.

In 1876 the board was composed of John F. Dreman, Albert Hart,
F. M. Lindley, T. B. McFarland, J. F. Montgomery, A. T. Nelson,
J. F. Richardson, Felix Tracy, and Secretary Hiukson. School Cen-
sus Marshal's report showed an increase of 355 children during the
past year. Total number of children attending school, 2850; average
attendance, 1982; born in California, 1843: number enrolled for
the German class, 191. Expenses, $64,894.35. The superintendent
reported against any change in text books.

The board for 1877 organized with J. F. Dreman, J. I. Felter,
H. H. Linnell, T. B. McFarland, John Stevens and J. N. Young.
Felter presided. The superintendent's report showed that there were
in the city 4011 white and 71 colored children between five and seven-
teen years of age. Of these 2458 were attending public schools. There
were 55 public school classes in the city and the high school was
maintained for ten months during the year. There were in all, twelve
school buildings; boys enrolled, 1627; girls, 1496; average attendance,
ninety per cent. The high school erected this year was a fine struc-
ture with four class rooms, library room, laboratory, etc.

The board of 1878 organized with J. F. Dreman, J. I. Felter,
E. Greer, Matt F. Johnson, H. H. Linnell, John Stevens and J. N.
Young as directors; Felter presiding. Sixty-eight teachers were em-
ployed, including one of French and German. Several new school
rooms were rendered necessary this year by the accession of pupils.
The number of pupils enrolled was 3148. Current expenses were $69,-
872. The superintendent recommended that school books be fur-
nished to all children under restrictions that would prevent abuses.
Eight additional teachers were employed and two new classes estab-
lished in the grammar grades.

In 1879 the board organized with Director S. W. Butler, E.
Greer, Matt F. Johnson, J. F. Dreman, John T. Griffitts, F. A.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 175

Hornblower, James McClatchy and T. B. McFarland. The latter pre-
sided. The superintendent reported the value of school property
at $198,000. Number of pupils enrolled, 3539. Receipts, $78,947.26;
expenditures, $74,082.94. He recommended the erection of an addi-
tional school building in the southern part of the city, the grading of
teacher's salaries, and free supply of books to the pupils; of the
sixty-three class rooms one had been abandoned on account of its
unhealthy location. Seventy-three teachers were employed, with an
average salary of $72.83. Prof. Albert H. linger, principal of the
German classes, died this year. The night school had one hundred
pupils enrolled, under Professor Brier, and was reported as in a
high condition of efficiency.

The board of 1880 organized with Directors S. W. Butler, J. T.
Griffitts, F. A. Hornblower, W. R. Knights, J. D. Lord, James Mc-
Clatchy, W. D. Stalker and K. F. Wiemeyer. Griffitts presided.

Knights resigned and Felix Tracy was elected to the vacancy.
F. L. Landes succeeded A. C. Hinkson as superintendent. The latter
reported receipts for the previous year as $82,380.32; disbursements,
$81,014.95 ; one new schoolhouse, a fine ten-class primary school on
Q street, between Ninth and Tenth, costing $9,413, and other build-
ings, amounting in all to $10,733 and furniture to the amount of
$1852 were among the items, giving ample accommodations for
pupils. The sale of the Franklin grammar school, at Sixth and L
streets, occupied only as a night school, was recommended. Total
number of pupils enrolled, 3489; teachers employed, 79, two of them
lieing in the evening school. The ]:)rineipal of the high school was
0. M. Adams; vice-principal. Kirk W. Brier, who afterwards became
principal. A. H. McDonald was principal of the Sacramento gram-
mar school and Joseph W. Johnson principal of the Capital gram-
mar; W. J. Hyde, principal of the night school.

Up to this time there had been four superintendents — W. H.
Hill, S. C. Denson, A. C. Hinkson and F. L. Landes.

Since 1880 the boards have been as follows:

1881— K. F. Wiemeyer, W. D. Stalker, J. D. Lord, L. K. Ham-
mer, S. W. Butler, Felix Tracy, Philip Herzog and W. S. Mesick.
Mesick resigned and C. H. Stevens was elected to succeed him.

1882— John F. Slater, Philip Herzog, C. H. Stevens, W. D.
Stalker, S. W. Butler, Felix Tracy, Mathew C. Cooke, L. K. Ham-
mer; G. H. Hancock succeeded Hammer, resigned.

1883— John F. Slater, C. H. Stevens, Mathew C. Cooke, W. D.
Stalker, 0. P. Goodhue, Felix Tracy, George W. Hancock and S.
W. Butler. Goodhue died and Elwood Bruner was elected to the
vacancy.

1884— John F. Slater, C. H. Stevens, Mathew C. Cooke, J. L.
Chadderdon, Richmond Davis, D. Johnson, Elwood Bruner, Frank
Avery.

176 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

1885— W. M. Petrie, John F. Slater, A. Conklin, J. L. Chadder-
don, Richmond Davis, Frank Avery, C. H. Stevens, E. K. Alsip.

1886— A. Conklin, C. H. Stevens, J. W. Todd, W. M. Petrie,
Richmond Davis, O. W. Erlewine, John F. Slater, E. K. Alsip.
Stevens resigned and B. F. Howard was elected to fill the vacancy.

1887— A. Conklin, W. M. Petrie, J. W. Todd, Richmond Davis,
John F. Slater, A. S. Hopkins, H. C. Chipman and 0. W. Erlewine.

1888— Richmond Davis, W. M. Petrie, E. M. Martin, A. Conk-
lin, J. W. Todd, A. S. Hopkins, H. C. Chipman, John Skelton.

1889— J. W. Todd, A. J. Senatz, E. I. Martin, Joseph Hopley,
R. Davis, A. C. Tufts, H. C. Chipman, John Skelton.

1890— H. C. Chipman, W. H. Sherburn, A. C. Tufts, A. J. Senatz,
Joseph Hopley, J. N. Pajme, 0. W. Erlewine, Win J. Davis.

1891—0. W. Erlewine, M. Gardner, W. H. Sherburn, C. M. Har-
rison, J. N. Payne, R. Davis, A. C. Tufts, H. C. Chipman.

1892— A. C". Tufts, W. H. Sherburn, C. M. Harrison, Eugene A.
Crouch, H. J. Davis, 0. W. Erlewine, H. C. Chipman, M. Gardner.

1893 — No election. Same board held office. Sherburn, president.

1894-95— Win J. Davis, W. H. Sherburn, E. A. Crouch, J. H.
Dolan, A. N. Buchanan, T. W. Huntington, D. D. Whitbeck, M. J.
Dillman, P. S. Driver.

1896-97— Win J. Davis, E. A. Crouch, J. H. Dolan, T. W. Hunt-
ington, D. D. Whitbeck, M. J. Dillman, P. S. Driver, W. H. Sher-
burn, A. N. Buchanan.

1898-99— P. S. Driver, W. H. Sherburn, George B. Stack, C. A.
Elliott, F. L. Atkinson, C. C. Perkins, H. K. Johnson, H. S. Ranson,

E. S. Panabaker.

1900-01— P. S. Driver, Ed. J. Kay, George B. Stack, J. A. Green,

F. L. Atkinson, Herman Mier, H. K. Johnson, H. S. Ranson, E. E.
Panabaker.

1902-03— P. S. Driver, Ed. J. Kay, J. A. Green, Herman Mier,
H. S. Ranson, Edward McEwen, W. M. Petrie, Howard K. Johnson,
Robert Martyr.

1904-05— Howard K. Johnson, B. M. Hodson, Daniel FhTin, J.
A. Green, W. M. Petrie, John T. Skelton, L. G. Shepard, Robert
Martvr, William Lampert.

1906-07— J. A. Green, B. M. Hodson, Daniel Flynn, W. M. Petrie,
William Lampert, J. M. Henderson, Jr., John T. Skelton, W. F.
Jackson, L. G. Shepard.

1908-09— W. J. Taylor, R. L. Wait, D. Flynn, J. A. Green, W.
M. Petrie, T. D. Littlefield, J. M. Henderson, W. F. Jackson, W.

G. McMiUin.

1910-11— J. A. Green, R. L. Wait, J. R. Garlick, W. M. Petrie,
T. D. Littlefield, S. A. Smith, W. J. Taylor, Thomas Coulter, W.
G. McMillin.

The superintendents since 1880 have been : Dr. J. R. Lane,

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 177

January, 1882, to January, 1886; M. R. Beard, 1886 to 1890; Albert
Hart, 1890 to 1894; 0. W. Erlewine, elected under the new charter,
February 3, 1894, was subsequently re-elected and served continuously
as superintendent under the commission until he resigned early this
year, being succeeded by C. C. Hughes.

Under the new charter adopted in 1911, changing the govern-
ment of the city to the commission form, the commissioners con-
stituted the city board of education, Mrs. Luella B. Johnston being
the commissioner of education for the ensuing year, and being suc-
ceeded this year by E. J. Carragher.

THE HIGH SCHOOL

The embryo of the high school was created May 22, 1855, when
it was proposed by Dr. F. W. Hatch that Willson's History, astron-
omy, bookkeeping, Latin, French and Spanish be added to the course
of study. An order to add these studies to the course was adopted
at that time, but was not put in force till the following year, when
the classes in these studies were taught in the schoolhouse on M
street, between Eighth and Ninth, by J. M. Howe. Eighteen girls and
twenty-one boys were enrolled the first year and the remarkably high
average attendance of 36.8 out of 39 was attained. May 8, 1857.
Howe declined to be examined in Greek and was succeeded by C.
A. Hill. Hill resigned in August following and was succeeded by
A. E. Jackson, and early in 1858 the school was removed to Fifth
and K streets and J. P. Carleton was elected to teach French and
Spanish.

May 20, 1858, Charles A. Swift was elected principal, with a
salary of $200 a month, and Professor Lefebre was chosen to teach
French and Spanish in place of Carleton. As soon as the Franklin
grammar school was completed, the high school was removed to it.
In June, 1859, Professor Lefebre left the state and was succeeded by
Professor Jofre. In November, 1859, the natural sciences were
added to the course by the board, and A. E. Jackson was elected to
teach them. The next October Swift showed evidences of insanity
and a vacancy in the principalship was declared and Jackson was
appointed to the position, but refused the following April to serve
longer as principal, declaring the salary insufficient, and J. W. An-
derson was appointed in his place. Anderson was succeeded Sejitem-
ber, 18, 1862, by E. K. Marriner and the latter resigned March 27,
1865, and was succeeded by J. L. Fogg, who served till April 29th fol-
lowing and was succeeded by Milo L. Templeton as principal.

The school was removed to Seventh and G streets July 25, 1865,
and in November Alexander Goddard was elected teacher of French
and in April, 1870, Jourdon W. Eoper was appointed principal. He
resigned in April, 1872, and was succeeded by H. H. Howe, and early
in the year Edward P. Howe was appointed to take his brother's

178 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

place. His successors to date have been Oliver M. Adams, who re-
signed in June, 1884; W. W. Anderson from that date until the close
of the school year in June, 1888, when James H. Pond was elected
principal. Pond resigned in 1901 to take the principalship in the
Oakland high school and was succeeded by Frank Tade, who con-
tinued as principal until the close of the school year in June, 1910.
when he resigned to take the principalship of the Night High School
and was succeeded by H. 0. Williams, the present principal.

The high school building at the corner of Ninth and M streets
was completed September 2, 1876, at a cost of $10,687, and the school
was opened in it January 1, 1877. An addition was made to it in
1904, nearly doubling its size, and in 1909 it was burned. In 1907-08
a new high school building was erected on the block between K and
L, Eighteenth and Nineteenth streets, which had been purchased for
the purpose by the board of education from the directors of the
Protestant Orphan Asylum. The building is a fine one, the lower
story being of cement, and .the remainder of brick. It is four stories
in height, with thirty-five class rooms, and cost in round numbers
a little over $254,500. It is strictly up to date, has ample apparatus
for the scientific classes, and a gynmasium for the boys in the lower
story. It was calculated to furnish accommodations for about eight
hundred pupils, and that it would be ample for all the needs of the
school for ten years, but the growth of the city since has been so
rapid that it is alreadj' overcrowded, the classes for the first semester
of 1912 showing that about one thousand pupils must be taken care
of. The bond issue of $800,000 for the schools sanctioned by the
people in 1911, has provided for an addition to the high school facili-
ties, and it is advocated by many that a new high school building be
erected in the suburlian district recently annexed by the city, al-
though an addition may be built to the present building.

COLORED PUPILS

In 1873 a colored pupil applied for admission to the night school
and two colored girls applied for admission to the grammar school.
The question arose as to whether under the statute prohibiting tlie
attendance of colored children at the white schools they could be
admitted without endangering the receipt of the state and county
monevs for the support of the schools. The board granted the re-
quests, pending the decision of the supreme court on the constitu-
tionality of the law.

January 7, 1874, Su])erintendent Hinkson served on Princijial
McDonald of the grammar school the following notice:

"You are hereby instructed to admit no children of African de-
scent or Indian children into your school, and if any make applica-
tion for arbrission, direct them to the superintendent, who will issue

HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY 179

permits for their admission into the schools provided for them by
law."

The admission of colored children to white schools had been
made an issue in the election of December, 1873, and Ilinkson had
been elected superintendent, with W. F. Knox and George S. Wait,
Democrats. J. F. Dreman, Republican, had previously voted against
admitting colored children.

The notice called attention to the statute on the subject. The
])rincipal refused to obey the order and was suspended by the super-
intendent and a special meeting was called, the principal stating that
the orders of the superintendent were in conflict with the resolution
adopted by the board, and asked which he should obey.

Director Welty offered the following resolution: ''That the teach-
ers are instructed that the paramount source of power rests with
the board, in reference to the subject matter embraced in the com-
munication from the principal of the grammar school."

The resolution was adopted by a vote of five to three and the
principal reinstated. Director Dreman offered a resolution as fol-
lows, which was lost by a vote of three to five :

"That it is the duty of Superintendent Hinkson to redeem his
pledge to the people of Sacramento City by using all legal means to
prevent the admission of colored children into the wdiite schools."
Director Knox offered the following resolution:

"That the resolution of December 29, 1873, by the board of edu-
cation, admitting certain colored children into the white grammar
school, is a palpable violation of the statute of the state."

Director Welty offered this in addition:

"But is in strict harmony with the constitution and laws of the
United States."

The resolution as amended was adopted. The supreme court
soon after declared the statute constitutional and a plan was dis-
cussed for establishing separate schools, but was deemed impractic-
able and colored pupils were admitted to the grammar and high
schools.

OTHER MATTERS

In 1882 a resolution was adopted by the board that thereafter,
when high school exercises were held, a premium of $20 would be
offered to the young lady pupil who would attend in the least ex-
jiensive and most appropriate dress. It seems therefore, that the
evil of expensive dressing on such occasions was even then prevalent.

In 1881 the Fremont primary school at Twenty-fourth and X
streets was erected.

In 1882 a two-roojii frame building, the Marshall primary, was
erected at Twenty-seventh and J streets and afterwards enlarged.
It stood on one of the city blocks reserved for plazas by General

180 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Sutter and when the city resolved to make a park there, the school
was removed and a new one erected on G street.

In 1884 it was proposed to purchase the Perry Seminary build-
ing for a high school and $9000 was offered for it, but Mrs. Perry
asked $10,000. It was finally purchased for $9620 and used for years
for the night school, but was converted last year into a manual train-
ing school. In February, 1890, the board of trustees asked that the
Perry Seminary property be deeded to the city, but the board of
education declined, saying it had no power to cede it. In 1891 a
similar request was made and again denied.

In 1904 the first Chinese school was opened in the Perry Sem-
inary building.

In 1885 the Harkness grammar school at Tenth and P streets
was erected at a cost of $14,992, and the building at Tenth and L
streets, erected in 1879, named the Capital grammar school and at first
used as a grammar school, was named the Capital primary school.
In 1889 the Sutter grammar school at Twenty-first and L streets
was erected, at a cost of $15,444. In that year, also, the business men
of the city presented twelve American flags to the board of educa-
tion, with the request that they be displayed on all legal holidays,
on the first day of each term and on other occasions as the board
might deem proper. Today Old Glory floats over every schoolhouse
in the city and county while the schools are in session.

In this connection it may be stated that the first flag raised over
a schoolhouse in the county outside of the city was in the Capital
school district, on the old schoolhouse that stood on the Upper Stock-
ton road at Swiss station, a short distance south of the county hospital,
W. L. Willis being the teacher, and the school children and trustees
contributing money for the flag and flagstaif. On the same day,
but several hours later, a flag was raised on the American river dis-
trict schoolhouse. Miss Agnes Burns, teacher. Neither district knew
that the other contemplated such action, and the raising of the first
two flags in the county was a remarkable coincidence. Both school-
houses have since been demolished, and more commodious ones built
on other sites to accommodate the growing needs of the districts.

Besides the high school, we have now three grammar schools, —
the Watson, Harkness and Sutter, the Newton Booth school, which
is mixed, and eight primary schools, — the McKinley, Lincoln, Capital,
Washington, Jefferson, Marshall, Fremont and Eugene Field pri-
maries,— within the old city limits. Since the suburbs were annexed
they have brought into the city school system the Oak Park grammar
and primary schools, the Highland Park, Franklin, East Sacramento,
Riverside and Palmetto Heights schools, the latter being the school
of the Protestant Orphan Asylum on the Lower Stockton road.
There is_ also a night high school, and a night school with twelve
teachers. In addition to this, the old Perry Seminary has been fitted

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 181

up as a manual training school, with foui- teachers. The schools also
liave a sui^ervisor of drawing, a supervisor and assistant supervisor of
music, a teacher and assistant teacher for the deaf and dumb, and
four teachers of domestic science and home economics. In addition
to these there are several kindergarten schools.

In the spring of 1911 the Capital primary school, on L street,
between Ninth and Tenth, was burned, the work, it is generally be-
lieved, of an incendiary. The Lincoln primary school, at Fourth
and Q streets, has been twice burned within the past ten years, both
fires being supposedly incendiary.

There are at present eig'hty school districts in Sacramento county,
as follows: Arcade, Alabama, Alder Creek, Andrus Island, A mo,
Brighton, Buckeye, Brown, Brannan, Courtland, Capital, Carroll,
Center-Joint, Carson Creek-Joint, Colon}', Davis, Dry Creek-Joint,
Elk Grove, Elk Grove Union High, East Sacramento, Elder
Creek, Enterprise, Excelsior, Freeport, Florin, Franklin Union, Fair
Oaks, Gait, Granite, Grand Island, Georgiana, Good Hope, Goldberg,
Highland, Highland Park, Howard, Hutson, Isleton, Jackson, Junc-
tion, Kinney, Lisbon, Lee, Lincoln, Laguna, Michigan Bar, Moke-
lumne, Ney, Natoma-Joint, Onisbo, Oak Grove, Orangevale, Oulton,
Prairie, Point Pleasant, Pleasant Grove, Pacific, Palmetto Heights,
Richland, Roberts, Reese, Rio Vista, Rhoads, Riverside, Sylvan,
Sutter, Stone House, Sacramento City, San Joaquin, San Juan,
Sherman Island, Union, Victory, Vorden, Wilson, Washington, Walnut
Grove and Waker. Two new ones have been made b}^ the board of
supervisors within the past few mouths — Twin Cities district taken
from' Gait and Arno districts, and one, not yet named, taken from
Brighton, Washington, Enterprise and Excelsior districts. The num-
ber of teachers in the city schools is 267, and in the schools oiatside
of the city ninety-one.

SACEAMENTO BUSINESS COLLEGE

Wlien Agesilaus, King of Sparta, gave utterance to the precept
"Teach your boys that which they will practice when they become
men," he sounded the keynote of practical education and stamped the
pattern for the commercial training of the present generation. This
terse and epigrammatic injunction is the motto of one of the oldest and
most firmly established educational institutions on the Pacific Coast.
Founded February 28th, 1873, by Edmund Clement Atkinson, one of
the pioneer business educators of the state, it has for nearly forty
years inculcated sound business principles into the minds of the young
men and young women of California, and maintained first rank among
the institutions of learning of the community.

For the first twenty years of its existence, the college occupied
the upper floor of the present city library building on I street, be-
tween Seventh and Eighth, after which the third floor of the Hale

182 HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

block at Ninth aud K streets, where it was for sixteen years one of
the prominent features of the city's life. In 1909 it was moved to
the present commodious and well-lighted building at the north-east
corner of Thirteenth and J streets, where it continues to expound the
sound principles of business, impressing them upon the receptive
minds of its students along the strongly characteristic lines laid down
by its eminent founder, and on completion of the course of instruction
installs its graduates in responsible positions in the commercial world.
In fidelity to its announcements it "puts thousands into business."

The college celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1898 by
incorporating imder the laws of California. Since the death of its
founder, and in fact for a short time previous thereto, it had been
under the direct control of its president and manager, William E.
Cogswell, for eighteen years connected with the institution in various
capacities.

CHAPTEE XXIV

EAILROADS

The inception of railroad building in the county of Sacramento,
as well as in the whole state, has made very interesting history. The
building of the Sacramento Valley Eailroad which ran from Sacra-
mento to Folsom, a distance of twenty- two miles, in 1855-56, (it being
the first railroad constructed in the state) was the direct cause of the
construction of the western half of the great transcontinental railroad
known as the Central Pacific.

As far back as 1846 the building of a railroad across the plains
and over the mountains had been agitated in Congress and out of it
by Asa Whitney, until 1850. He was supported in his effort by Sena-
tors Benton of Missouri and Breese of Illinois. Februarv 7, 1849,
Senator Benton introduced a bill in Congress for the building of a
Pacific railroad, this bill being really the first tangible effort made
in that direction. The formation of a company of citizens of Sacra-
mento, Nevada and Placer counties was the first effort made in Cali-
fornia for the building of an overland railroad. Articles of incor-
poration of the Sacramento, Auburn and Nevada Eailroad Company
were filed in the o.'lice of the secretary of state, August 17, 1852.
They contained the names of twenty-six subscribers of twenty-ei^ht
shares each, at a A^alue of $100 a share, with the names of the follow-
ing directors: S. W. Lovell, Placer county; F. O. Dunn, John E.
Coryell, Charles Marsh, Isaac Williamson and William IT. Lvons of
Nevada county; John A. Eead, J. B. Haggin and Lloyd Tevis of
Sacramento countv. A survey was made of a line from Sacramento
City, through Folsom, Auburn and Green Vallev, to Nevada City.
The line was sixtv-eiffht miles long, and the estimated cost of con-
struction was $2,000,000. The survey was continued from Nevada

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 183

City through the Henness Pass. But the enterprise assumed too
gigantic i^roportions for the means of the incorporators, and they were
forced, much against their will, to abandon the undertaking.

In March, 1853, congress passed an act providing for a survey,
by the topographical engineers of the army, of three routes of a trans-
continental railway — the northern, southern and middle routes. The
surveys were made as ordered, and the report submitted to congress
and published, with elaborate engravings of the scenery along the
routes, topographical maps and representations of the animals and
plants discovered. These reports were doubtless valuable, but they
did not demonstrate the fact that a railway route was practicable over
the Rocky and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. The demonstration
of that fact was to be made later by Theodore D. Judah, who had
been the chief-engineer of the Sacramento Valley Railroad — the first
railroad built in California. Mr. Judah became convinced, while en-
gaged from 1854 to 1856 in building this road, that it was practicable
to build a road over the Sierra Nevada mountains, the only range
that had before been deemed impracticable. He made at his own
expense trial surveys over several of the supposed passes over the
Sierra Nevadas. While these were only barometrical surveys, they
were sulKciently accurate to convince him that there was a practicable
route, and that a road could be built.

Armed with the data he had thus obtained, Mr. Judah lost no
time in presenting his views and ideas at all times in order to awaken
interest and advance the project of a Pacific railroad. In 1856 he
succeeded, through a concurrent resolution of the California legisla-
ture, in having a railroad convention called, to meet in San Francisco,
September 20, 1859. Many prominent men of California composed
this convention, among them being Hon. J. A. McDougall, Hon. J. B.
Crocket, Major John Bidwell, Hon. J. B. Axtell, Hon. James T.
Farley, Sherman Day and others, of California, together with dele-
gates from Oregon and adjoining territories. The convention sent
Mr. Judah to Washington, D. C, to endeavor to procure legislation
favoring the building of a railroad, and he proceeded thither, arriving
in time to be present at the opening of the Thirty-sixth Congress. He
lost no time after arriving in Washington, in visiting the various de-
partments and collecting from each one all the information that was
likely to be of assistance to him in presenting plainly and clearly to
congress the importance and feasibility of the enterprise which he
desired them to take favorable action ujion. While this session was
unfortunately so fully occupied with political matters that he was
unable to gain an effective hearing, and therefore made but little
impression on congress as a body, a great deal of good was effected bv
him through iiersonal interviews and the presentation of his views and
aims, backed up by the data gathered, with the different members
and many prominent men. He had acquired such a thorough knowl-

184 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

edge of his subject that he rarely failed to convince his auditors
of the entire feasibility of the project he had espoused. In conjunction
with Hon. John C. Burch, then a member of congress from California,
he drew up a bill which contained nearly all the provisions of the
bill finally passed in 1862. It was printed at private expense and a
copy sent to each member of congress and senate.

In 1860 Mr. Judah returned to California and immediately set
about making a more thorough survey of the Sierra Nevadas for a
pass and the approach to it, than he had hitherto attempted. He was
accompanied on this work by Dr. D. W. Strong of Dutch Flat, who
contributed much from his private means toward pajonent of the ex-
penses incurred in prosecuting the survey, as well as aiding it by his
intimate knowledge of the mountains. When the Central Pacific
Railroad Company was incorporated Dr. Strong became one of its
first directors.

On completion of these surveys, which were made with a baro-
meter, Mr. Judah made a trip to San Francisco for the purpose of
laying his plans before a number of the capitalists of that city and
trying to induce them to form a company to finance the work and
carry it to completion. He was chagrined to find his ideas coldly re-
ceived, and at obtaining no financial support in that city. He returned
to his hotel one evening, after becoming convinced that it was futile
to make any further trial to obtain financial aid in San Francisco,
and remarked to a friend : ' ' The capitalists of San Francisco have
refused this night to make an investment, for which, in three years,
they shall have ami)le cause to blame their want of foresight. I shall
return to Sacramento tomorrow, to interest merchants and others of
that place in this great work, and this shall be my only other effort
on this side of the continent. ' '

Mr. Judah had previously placed his plans and estimates before
James Bailey, a Sacramento friend, who was struck by the force of
his arguments and calculations. By Mr. Bailey he was introduced to
Governor Stanford, Mark Hopkins, E. B. Crocker and Charles Crock-
er. He was already acquainted with C. P. Huntington. A meeting
of the business men of Sacramento was called. Mr. Judah laid his
plans and statistics before them and steps preliminary to the organ-
ization of a company were immediately taken. The organization was
perfected and the articles of incorporation filed with the secretary of
state June 28, 1861. The name chosen for the company was the
Central Pacific Railroad Company of California, and the officers elected
were as follows: Leland Stanford, president; C. P. Huntington, vice-
president; Mark Hopkins, treasurer; Theodore D. Judah, chief engi-
neer; Leland Stanford, C. P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Charles
Crocker, James Bailey, L. A. Booth, D. W. Strong, of Dutch Flat, and
Charles Marsh, of Nevada City, directors. The capital stock was

HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY 185

$8,500,000 and $148,000 was subscribed, just enough to brin;>- tlieiii
within the limit as set by the laws of California.

That all but the last two named were citizens of Sacramento
demonstrates conclusively that to Sacramento and her citizens belongs
the honor of inaugurating and carrying to successful completion the
Pacific railroads ; for had not Judah spent his time and talents in col-
lecting data, making surveys and proving that such an undertaking
was possible, it is an open question if the Pacific railroads would be
in existence today. The country from the Mississippi river to the
Rocky mountains was generally known in those days and appeared on
the maps as "The Great American Desert." The lofty and inhospit-
able Rocky Mountain range was on its western border, di'ficult to
surmount. Beyond them was the valley and table land of Utah and
Nevada, bleak and uninviting, and still beyond that, the lofty and
rugged Sierra Nevadas to be surmounted. The prospect was not in-
viting to the eastern investor. The barren and unpromising country
to be traversed gave but little prospect of being settled for many a
j'ear and the prospect of financial profit from the construction of a
railroad across a scope of such country nearly two thousand miles
in extent was not a brilliant one, or one calculated to draw the dollars
from the pockets of capitalists. Had the railroad not been begun at
this end of the line, it is doubtful if the line would have been built,
even to this day. To the men then, who threw themselves into the
breach and periled their fortunes and those of their friends, accrues
the honor of being foremost in the work of developing — not only the
Pacific coast, but two-thirds of the width of the continent. Mr.
Judah 's engineering work in constructing the most difficult parts of
the road was regarded as the wonder of the age, for he was forced
to employ methods not before used in his profession.

His coadjutors in the work, who have all, or nearly all, passed
away, deserve full credit for their faith in the enterprise, their in-
domitable energy and their masterly manner of managing and over-
coming the financial difficulties that they encountered during the years
that elapsed between the organization of the company and the com-
pletion of the road, which was often sneeringly alluded to by the San
Franciscans as "Stanford's Dutch Flat Road." We cannot forget,
however, that Mr. Judah had spent all his time and money and energy
for three or four years previous to the organization of the company,
in collecting data, without which no prudent man would have felt
justified in investing a dollar in the undertaking that was so generally
regarded as chimerical and impracticable.

After the company was organized Mr. Judah was instructed to
make a thorough instrumental survey of the route across the Sierras,
which he did. The previous surveys or reconnoissances made had
covered three routes, one through Eldorado county via Georgetown,
another via Illinoistown and Dutch Flat, and a third via Nevada

186 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

and Henness Pass. The observations had demonstrated the existence
of a route across the Sierras bj' which the summit could be reached
by maximum grades of one hundred and five feet to the mile. The
instrumental survey, however, developed a route with lighter grades,
less distance and fewer obstacles than the previous observations had
shown. The first report of the chief engineer to the officers of the
company gave the following as topographical features of the Sierras,
which rendered railroad building and operating over them so for-
midable :

1. "The great elevation to be overcome in crossing its summit,
and the want of uniformity in its western slope. ' ' The average length
of the western slope of the Sierras is about seventy miles, and on
this distance the altitude increases seven thousand feet, making it
necessary to maintain an even gTade on the ascent to avoid creating
some sections with excessive grades.

2. "From the impracticability of the river crossings." These
rivers run through gorges in many places over one thousand feet
deep, with the banks of varying slopes from perpendicular to forty-
five degrees. A railroad line, therefore, must avoid crossing these
canyons. The line, as established by the surveys of 1861, pursued
its course along an unbroken ridge from the base to the summit of the
Sierras, the only river crossing in the mountains being that of Little
Bear, about three miles above Dutch Flat. Another prominent feature
of the location is the fact that it entirely avoids the second sununit
of the Sierras. The estimated cost per mile of the road from Sacra-
mento to the state line was $88,000 per mile.

October 1, 1861, the board of directors of the Central Pacific Rail-
road Company adopted a resolution as follows:

"Resolved, that Mr. T. D. Judah the chief engineer of this com-
pany, proceed to "Washington on the steamer of the 11th of October
instant, as the accredited agent of the Central Pacific Railroad Com-
pany of California for the purpose of procuring appropriations of land
and United States bonds from the government, to aid in the construc-
tion of this road." Mr. Judah proceeded to the east on his mission
and that he accomplished his pur])ose this time is shown by the bill
that was passed by congress in July, 1862. This bill granted a free
right of way to the roads of four hundred feet wide over all govern-
ment lands on their line. The government also agreed to extinguish
the Indian title to all the land donated to the company either for
right of way or to the granted land.

Tlie lands on either side of the road were to be withdrawn from
settlement, by pre-emption or otherwise, for a distance of fifteen
miles, until the final location of the road should be' made, and the
United States surveys had determined the location of the section lines.
This map of the route was made by Mr. Judah, filed in the office
of the secretary of the interior, and the lands withdrawn in accordance

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 187

with the terms of the bill. When the bill had passed, Mr. Judah
telegraphed to his associates in Sacramento: "We have drawn the
elephant. See if we can harness him up."

This bill also provided for the issue to the company of United
States thirty-year six per cent, bonds, to be issued to the company as
each forty mile section of the road was completed, at the rate of
$16,000 per mile for the line west of the western base of the Sierra
Nevadas, and at the rate or $48,000 per mile from the western base
east to the eastern base of the Sierras, the latter subsidy to be paid
on the completion of each twenty mile section.

To secure the government from loss, and insure the pajmient of
these bonds, they were made a first lien on the road. The state of
California also donated $10,000 per mile to the road, by an act ap-
proved April 25, 1863. The engineering difficulties were great, and
had been considered unsurmountable, but the financial difficulties also
were great, and undoubtedly required more labor and thought than
the engineering, though of a different kind. That all these difficulties
were surmounted, and the originators of the etfort still retained the
ownership and control of the road, and in addition to the original
line have built thousands of miles of road in California and Arizona
and elsewhere, proves the ability of the leaders in this movement.

These men were mei'chants in a city that could not be classed
among the large ones of the land, and were consequently not largely
known to the financial world; they had never been engaged in the
railroad business, and were supposedly ignorant of the magnitude of
the undertaking in Avhich they engaged. Aside from the natural dif-
ficulty of the situation, they encountered the opposition of the moneyed
men of San Francisco and other places, who gave their enterprise the
name of the "Dutch Flat Swindle." C. P. Huntington, vice-president
of the company, was next sent to the east, with full power-of-attorney
to do any acts he might think for the interest of the company. One
of the main objects of this trip was to see that the bill which was then
before congress should not oblige the company to pay interest on
the bonds received of the government for at least ten years from their
date of issue. After the passage of the bill, the books were opened
for stock subscriptions, to the amount of eight and one-half million
dollars. Of this amount, "six hundred thousand dollars were sub-
scribed at the first rush, but after that, for a long time, the sub-
scriptions came in very slowly.

When Huntington attempted to dispose of the bonds of the com-
pany in New York, he was informed that they had no mai'ketable value
until some part of the road was built. Before he could dispose of
them, therefore, he was obliged to give the personal guarantee of
himself and his four partners, Hopkins, Stanford and the Crockers,
for the money, until such time as they could lie exchanged for United
States bonds.

188 HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY

After spending the summer of 1861 in making additional surveys
of the three routes under consideration, Judah had finally decided
on the Dutch Flat route, ascertaining that the maximum grade on
that line would be one hundred feet to the mile. He thought the
line could be kept free from snow by the use of snow plows and that
eighteen tunnels, aggregating 17,100 feet in length, would be suffi-
cient. "Lightning expresses" and "limited" trains did not enter
into his calculations. He outlined a schedule for trains going east
as follows:

Sacramento to Barrimore's, thirty-one miles, one hour. Stop at
Barrimore's, half hour.

Barrimore's to Summit, eiglity-one miles, four hours. Pour
stops en route, fifteen minutes eacli, one hour. Stop at Summit,
quarter-hour.

Summit to Truckee river, eleven miles, tliree-quarters of an
hour.

Total for one hundred and twenty-three miles, seven and one-
half hours, including stops aggregating an hour and three-quarters.

He estimated the cost of construction from Sacramento to the
state line, one hundred and forty miles, at $12,880,000, an average of
$88,248 a mile.

The bill as passed gave the company two years to comjilete the
first fifty miles, none of their land grant or government bonds being
available until they liad finished the first forty. This latter provir^iou
nearly doomed them to failure, as it turned out. The first fifty milos,
as rejiorted by the engineers were described as a line from "Sacra-
mento to Grider's (Roseville) eighteen miles; thence California Cen-
tral Railroad to the Auburn Railroad, opposite Polsom, nine miles;
thence Auburn Railroad to Auburn, fifteen miles; thence eight miles
to Clipper Gap." Evidently it was the intention to use the two
roads named, but that intenion was abandoned later.

Por the purpose of providing means for commencing the work,
the seven principal stockholders formed a partnership, each one con-
tributing $34,000 in gold; the amount thus received, $238,000, was
thought to be sufficient to build at least to Newcastle. Everything
being ready to begin they decided to have a celebration and it was
held at Front and K streets in this city January 8, 1863. The ground
was very muddy, and hay was scattered over it to make better foot-
ing. At 12 M. Charles Crocker introduced Governor Stanford, who
spoke briefly as to his gratification at being chosen to cast the first
dirt on what was to be to the west what the Erie canal was to the
eastern and central states, "the tie that bound." He assured those
assembled that the work would go on without cessation or interrup-
tion. Rev. J. A. Benton, at the close of Stanford's remarks, offered
a ]ietition that the Divine blessing might rest on the enterprise, and
that the road here inaugurated in His name, might go forward to

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 189

speedy completion and prove a highway for the people that would
niake the wildnerness and the solitary places blossom like a rose.
Then two wagons decorated with red, white and blue, and filled with
dirt were driven in front of the speakers' stand and Governor
Stanford shoveled their contents on the ground, while the "Sacra-
mento Union Brass band" played the national airs, and closed with
"Wait for the Wagon." Presiding officers of the legislature and
others made remarks, Mr. Crocker winding up with the statement
that even while he was speaking the contractor was hauling piles to
the American river, for the bridge across it; that the road was going
through, and that all he had was devoted to the section he had under-
taken to build.

The Central Pacific issued a statement that they had ordered eight
first-class locomotives from Norris & Co., of Philadelphia, two of
them being of the heaviest class used by the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road on its mountain grades, capable of hauling thirty loaded cars
or three hundred and sixty tons over the heaviest grades that would
be on the Central Pacific. Eight passenger coaches were also ordered,
four combined mail and baggage cars, thirty box cars, thirty platform
cars, and six hand cars, and that they were on their way round the
Horn. The freight on these cost it was stated $4,000 each, making
their cost set up in Sacramento, $32,000 each.

The shipment of these engines was delayed by an army officer
who appeared at the locomotive works when they were about ready
and took possession of them and of all others that were on' hand,
for use of the army, in the name of the government. Protest was
made Ijy the company and the authorities at Washington, when they
learned that the engines seized were for the use of the Central Pacific,
ordered them released, on the ground that no military necessity was
more important than the completion of the Pacific Railroad. They
were partially paid for by a fund of $1,250,000 raised by the directors,
five of them becoming responsible for the loan by endorsing the com-
])any's notes.

None of the government's subsidy aid had as yet been received.
Subscriptions by individuals for stock amounted to $600,000. Bonds
had been received from Sacramento county for $300,000 and from
Placer county for $250,000, railroad bonds being given in exchange
for them. The city of San Francisco had by a large majority voted
a $600,000 subsidy, but it was being held up temporarily by officials
hostile to the road. Engineer Judah reported that the company
would have to abandon the original plan of using the California
Central and Sacramento, Placer and Nevada roads, as they were
not laid with American iron, as specified in the bill, nor could any
existing roads count in aiding the Central Pacific, under the bill.
He reported also that the road was being laid on redwood ties,
68,000 of them being contracted for, and that 6,000 tons of iron bad

190 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

been purchased. He estimated the cost of the first fifty miles at
$3,221,496.

In 1862 the company was granted the right of way into the city
of Sacramento and was also granted the Slough or Sutter lake. The
contract for building the road from Sacramento to Grider's on the
California Central Eailroad was let December 22, 1862, to C. Crocker
& Co., who sublet the contract to different parties. Twenty miles of
road each year were completed in 1863, 1864 and 1865, thirty miles
in 1866, forty-six miles in 1867, three hundred and sixty-four miles in
1868, one hundred and ninety and one-half miles in 1869 ; making six
hundred and ninety and one-half miles from Sacramento to Promon-
tory, where the roads met. May 10, 1869.

The difficulties were many and great. All of the materials except
the cross ties, including a large proportion of the men employed, were
brought from the east via Cape Horn. Toward the latter part of the
great enterprise several thousand Chinamen were put at work. Be-
sides this, it was war times, and marine insurance was very high ; iron
and railroad materials were held at tremendous figures and the price
of the subsidy bonds was very low. All of these conditions combined
to make the building of the road very costly.

. The state of California agreed to paj^ the interest on $1,500,000
of the bonds for thirty years, and in return the company gave to the
state a very valuable stone quarry. A number of the counties along
the road bonded themselves in exchange for stock. Sacramento county
gave her bonds to the amount of $300,000. These bonds were exchanged
for money and the work was pushed forward. Then there was delay
in obtaining the subsidy, and the money ran short. When Mr. Hunt-
ington returned from New York he found the treasury almost destitute
of coin, and it became evident that there was a necessity for raising
more funds or stopping the work. "Huntington and Hopkins can, out
of their own means, pay five hundred men for a year; how many can
each of you keep on the line," was the characteristic declaration with
which he met the emergency. Before the meeting adjourned these five
men had resolved that they would maintain eight hundred men on the
road during the year out of their own private resources.

Mr. Judah had sold out his interest in the company about this
time (1863) and gone east. On the way he was stricken with Panama
fever, dying from it shortly after his arrival in New York, in 1863, at
the age of only thirty-seven years. Dr. Strong of Dutch Flat, although
a sincere and earnest believer in the enterprise, was not able to furnish
what was considered his share of the expenses necessary to be ad-
vanced, and retired from the board of directors. Messrs. Bailey, Booth
and Marsh were compelled, like Judah, to sell out after the enterprise
was well under way, though it is known that they were all earnest
workers for its success at the commencement.

Mr. Judah was succeeded by S. S. Montague as chief engineer of

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 191

the road. The location surveys were made under his directions. The
road to Colfax, or Lower lUinoistown Gap, was located on the line run
by Mr. Judah in 1861; from Colfax to Long Ravine the line was
changed materially; from Long Ravine to Alta the line ran on Mr.
Judah 's survey and from Alta to the Summit on an entirely new line,
located by L. M. Clement, engineer in charge of the second division
from Colfax to the Summit. This final location gave better grade
line, and one more free from snow in the winter, two very desirable
objects. The value of these changes is plainly shown by the report
of George E. Gray, formerly chief engineer of the New York Central
Railroad. Mr. Gray was requested by Leland Stanford, in a letter
dated July 10, 1865, to inspect the line of road and surveys then made,
and report to the board of directors of the company his opinion as
to the quality of the work and the economical location of that portion
not then built. Mr. Gray, in his report, gave as his opinion that tlie
road already constructed would compare favorably with any road in
the United States. Of that portion of the road not constructed, he
reported that Mr. Judah's line had been altered materially, saving in
distance nearly five thousand feet and also reducing the aggregate
length of the tunnels nearly five thousand feet, a saving in cost of
construction of at least $400,000. Some very skillful engineering was
done on this Colfax division. The road bed ran around the promontory
at Cape Horn, over twelve hundred feet above the bottom of a nearly
perpendicular canyon, the banks of which were so steep that the
Chinamen during the work had to be let down in baskets over the
face of the cliff in order to construct the grade.

President Lincoln made a decision of great moment to the com-
pany during the summer of 1863, in regard to the mountain section.
By the terms of the bill, the company was to receive bonds to the
amount of $16,000 per mile for its line west of the Sierras, and $48,000
per mile for the section through the mountains. The trouble was to
decide where the two sections joined each other.

The Interior department showed a disposition to place the divid-
ing line at the end of the first section of fifty miles. The matter being
brought to the president's attention, he decided that it should be seven
and eighteen-hundredths miles east of Sacramento, saying that "this
was a case where Abraham's faith had moved mountains." This
meant a difference of over a million dollars to the com]iany. The
tracks reached Grider's, or Roseville, on April 26, 1864, and the
company commenced the operation of that much of the road.

Another factor was about to come to the aid of the financiers,
whose funds were exhausted, but whose courage was not daunted. The
Union Pacific Company had been unable to raise funds to prosecute
its construction, operating, as it did, under the same law as the
Central. It therefore made another appeal to congress, and an act
granting more liberal terms was passed in April, 1864. By its terms

192 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

the land grant was doubled, the government bonds were made a second
mortgage instead of the first, and the companies were authorized to
issue their own first mortgage bonds to the same amount as the gov-
ernment bonds. Two-thirds of these were made available when evi-
dence was presented to the secretary of the treasury that the neces-
sary grading for the road bed had been done. The sections on which
bonds were to be issued were also reduced from forty to twenty miles.
These provisions applied equally to the Central Pacific road. The
right of the road was also confirmed to lay track one hundred and fifty
miles east of the state boundary.

These things effected a great change in the financial status of the
company. Heretofore they had borrowed money in currency in the
east, and paid it out in gold in the west, at a heavy discount. Their
first mortgage bonds now sold almost at par and the government
bonds were available immediately on completing the grading. Their
credit was further aided by the operation of the road to Roseville,
which brought in $103,557 from April 26 to December 31, 1864— from
passengers $63,403; freight $38,667 and from express $1487. It gave
them a standing at home that they liad heretofore lacked.

The road progressed slowly at first, but along toward the last, it
progressed more rapidly, until, on the 10th day of May, 1869, the last
spike was down, completing the railroad connection between the At-
lantic and Pacific oceans. A large party gathered at Promontory Point
to witness the ceremony. Telegraph wires had been connected with
the large cities of the Union, so that the exact moment of driving the
last spike could lie made known to all at the same time. At the hour
designated, Leland Stanford, ])resident of the Central Pacific, and
other officers, came forward. T. C. Durant, president of the Union
Pacific, accompanied by General Dodge and others of the same
company, met them at the end of the rail, where they paused, while
Rev. Dr. Todd, of Massachusetts, made a short prayer. The last tie,
made of California laurel, with silver plates bearing suitable inscrip-
tions, was put in place, and the last connecting rails were laid by
persons from each company. The last spikes were made, one of gold
from California, one of silver from Nevada, and one of gold and
silver, from Arizona. President Stanford then took the hammer of
solid silver, to the handle of which was attached the telegraph wires,
by which, at the first tap on the head of the gold spike, at 12 M., the
news of the event was flashed all over the American continent.

Then a locomotive of the Central Pacific Railroad Company and
another of the Union Pacific Railroad Company approached from
each way, and rubbed their pilots together, while bottles of cham-
pagne were passed from one to the other.

During the building of this road the track laying force of the
Central Pacific laid ten miles and two hundred feet in one day, com-
pleting their work at seven p. m. The date when this herculean task

HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 193

was performed was the 20tli of April, 1869, when only fourteen miles
of track remained to be laid to connect with the Union Pacific.

By mutual agreement between the roads, Ogden was made the
terminus for each ; by this agreement the Union Pacific sold fifty-three
miles of its road to the Central Pacific, making the length of road
owned by the Central Pacific proper seven hundred and forty-three
miles and a half, from Sacramento to Ogden. Aug-ust 22, 1870, the
Western Pacific, San Joaquin Valley, California and Oregon, and San
Francisco, Oakland and Alameda Railroads, which had been built in
the meantime, were all consolidated under the name of the Central
Pacific Railroad.

The death of Mrs. Clara W. Prentice, September U, 1912, at the
age of eighty-eight years, recalled the interesting fact that the first
inception of the Central Pacific road took place at the home of Edwin
D. Prentice, her husband, on K street, between Ninth and Tenth. At
this meeting there were present, C. P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, T.
D. Judah, W. H. Stoddard and Mr. Prentice. Mr. Prentice took part
in the early history of the road, but died in 1862.

WESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY

On December 13, 1862, the Western Pacific Railroad Company
was incorporated for the purpose of constructing a railroad from San
Jose, through the counties of Alameda and San Joacjuin, to the city
of Sacramento. Its capital stock was $5,400,000. The road was one
hundred and thirty-seven and one-half miles in length, and made the
wliole length of the Central Pacific eight hundred and eighty-one
miles. This road was not completed until 1870. The franchise is said
to have passed into the hands of the Central Pacific Railroad Com-
pany a year before the date of consolidation. The road did not enter
Sacramento City, as it connected with the Sacramento Valley Railroad
at Brighton Junction.

The San Joaquin Valley Railroad is now the property of the
Southern Pacific and forms a part of the second overland system.

The California and Oregon Railroad leaves the original Central
Pacific Railroad at Roseville and runs thence through Redding. It
was incorporated June 30, 1865, and consolidated with the Central
Pacific August 22, 1870.

The California Pacific Railroad Company was for some time a
very active competitor for the carrying trade of the state, and at
one time it was thought that its owners intended to construct a second
line of railroad to connect with the Union Pacific. It bought boats
and franchises of the California Steam Navigation Company, and for
some time really controlled the rates of freight between Sacramento
and San Francisco. The comjiany was incorporated January 10, 1865,
with a capital stock of $3,500,000, and work was begun in Vallejo in
1867. The road was finished to Washington, Yolo County, November
11, 1868, and to Marvsville in November, 1869. In June, 1869, the

194 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

company purchased the Napa Valley Railroad, and the two roads were
consolidated in December, 1869, with a capital of $12,000,000.

In 1869 and 1870 the Central Pacific and California Pacific Rail-
roads were at war with each other. The California Pacific wished to
come into Sacramento, but the Central Pacific having its track on the
levee, it was impossible for the California Pacific to cross the river
and secure depot and switching facilities without crossing the Central
Pacific track. Various attempts were made by the California Pacific
to lay the track and form the crossing of the two lines, but they were
resisted and it looked for a time as if bloodshed would be the result.
Finally, however, the crossing was accomplished and passengers were
landed in Sacramento by the California Pacific, January 29, 1870.
A regular ovation awaited the train. Guns were fired, the fire depart-
ment turned out, and there was intense enthusiasm on all sides.

Commissioners were appointed to assess the damage to the Cen-
tral Pacific and reported in June, 1870, that the damages were as
follows: for about six acres of land, $40,680; damages for crossing
track, $70,000; for consequential damages, $250,000, making a total of
$360,680. The report was thrown out, however, by the court, on sev-
eral grounds, the principal one being that it was excessive. The war
between the companies continued until August, 1871, during which
time freight and passenger rates were very low, greatly curtailing the
profits of both companies. The roads were consolidated in August
of that year, since which time, with the exception of competition by
river, the Central Pacific and the Southern Pacific Company, its suc-
cessor, have had the monopoly of the carrying trade of Sacramento
until the coming of the new overland road, the Western Pacific, in
1910.

The California Pacific gave the Valle.io route to San Francisco.
The trip was made to Vallejo by rail and thence to San Francisco by
boat, making- a shorter and popular route which for many years
monopolized the majority of travel between Sacramento and San Fran-
cisco, until the building of the route to Benicia and the construction
of an immense ferry boat to carry the trains across Carquinez Straits
to Port Costa, whence they continued their journey to San Francisco
along the shore of San Pablo and San Francisco Bays to Oakland
Mole. The new road was opened December 28, 1879, and the Vallejo
line as a route to San Francisco was abandoned, although passengers
going that way are still transported across the bay to meet trains
on the Benicia route.

SACRAMENTO VALLEY KAILKOAD

This was the first railroad constructed in California, being organ-
ized Ausinst 4, 1852, when ten per cent of the stock was paid in,
amounting to $5,000. The company reorganized November 9, 1854.
and made immediate preparation for building the road. The first

HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 195

shovelful of dirt was thrown in February, 1855, the first tie came in
May, and the first vessel load of material and rolling stock arrived
from Boston in June. The first work done on a railroad car in Cali-
fornia was done on this road, July 4, 1855. The first rail was laid
August 9, 1855, and the first train was placed on the track August 14.
The road had some little trouble with its finances, but its progress
»vas not materially delayed.

On November 10, 1855, an excursion train was run to Patterson's,
ten miles from Sacramento, the fare being one dollar for the round
trip. By January 1, 1856, the road was completed to Alder creek, and
on February 22 was finished to Folsom, the length of the road being
twenty-two and a half miles. Its cost was $1,568,500. The capital
stock was $800,000, of which $792,000 was issued. The road was a
ver}^ profitable one from the time of its completion, its effect being
to move the terminus of the freight and stage lines running to the
northern mines from Sacramento to Folsom and building up quite a
town there. At one time twenty-one stage lines ran from Folsom to
other places; all leaving shortly after the arrival of the train from
Sacramento.

The Central Pacific Company purchased the Sacramento Valley
road in August, 1865, the purchase being made by George F. Bragg
(on behalf of himself and others) of the entire stock held by L. L.
Robinson and Pioche and Bayerque. The price paid for this stock was
$800,000. Soon after coming into possession Bragg transferred the
stock to the owners of the Central Pacific. The latter company had
been forced to do this in order to secure the whole of the Washoe
trade, which at this time was very great, amounting to several million
dollars per annum. The short line of the Sacramento Valley road
alone, declared an annual profit of nearly half a million dollars the
year previous to its purchase, most of which came from the freight
going to Washoe and other mining districts.

In the spring of 1857 a company was formed in Marysville to build
a railroad from that city to the terminus of the Sacramento Valley
Railroad at Folsom. Col. C. L. Wilson, who was one of the con-
tractors for the Sacramento Valley road, was sent east to procure
funds for building the road. He effected this and the construction
commenced immediately. The road, however, was never finished to
Marysville by the original company. By 1861 the track had been laid
as far as Lincoln. The original name, the California Central Railroad,
was subsequently changed to the California and Oregon Division of
the Southern Pacific. Shortly after the completion of the Central
Pacific Railroad to Roseville, that company purchased the California
Central Railroad; that portion of the road between Roseville and
Polsom was abandoned and the bridge across the American river at
Polsom was condemned and sold in 1868.

During 1862 the Sacramento, Placer and Nevada Railroad was

196 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

built from Folsom to a point near Newcastle. The road had been
organized in 1859 to build an extension of the Sacramento Valley
Railroad from Folsom via Auburn to Grass Valley and Nevada City.
The public-spirited citizens of Auburn furnished funds which enabled
it to be constructed from Folsom to Wildwood Station, a distance of
about eleven miles, and it stopped there. The Robinson Brothers, who
had built the Sacramento Valley Railroad, and were largely interested
in it, were the promoters of this road, which cost for the eleven miles
$278,000. It proved a losing venture, and was sold under foreclosure
in the spring of 1864; Robinson Brothers purchased some of the stock,
intending to use it as part of their road. When the purchasers under
foreclosure attempted to take up the rails and ties, they were bitterly
fought by the Central Pacific and the Auburn people who had con-
tributed to build it. The courts were appealed to and resort was also
made to force. On account of the violence engendered, the militia was
called out, but the Robinsons were successful, and the material was
removed and relaid on the road from Folsom to Latrobe. About a
hundred workmen who removed the rails, including Robinson, were
arrested for contempt of court, which was a poor satisfaction for the
Auburn people who subscribed toward building the road.

The Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad, commencing at
Folsom, was constructed as far as Latrobe in 1864 and 1865, and hung
fire there for several years, finally being carried on to Shingle Springs.
In 1887-88 the work was taken up again and the road completed to
Placerville, under the name of the Shingle Springs and Placerville
Railroad. The road as far as Latrobe was laid with the ties and rails
taken up from the Auburn road. It was through a rich country, where
the principal industry in former days was mining and stock-raising,
but at the present day the capability of the foothills for producing fine
fruit and grapes has been proved, and El Dorado county is fast be-
coming the home of the orchardist and vineyardist.

The Amador branch, running from Gait in this county, to lone in
Amador county, a distance of twenty-seven miles, was built by the
Central Pacific Company in 1876, in order to gain access to 'some
mines of lignite coal near lone.

The Freeport road originated in a plan to divert the northern and
eastern trade from Sacramento by building wharves, etc., at Freeport
and a railroad from there to some point on the Sacramento Valley
road. The road bed was graded for a distance of nine miles from
Freeport, and the track laid. It was intended as part of the Sacra-
mento Valley road, and was purchased with it by the Central Pacific
and the track taken up.

In the ensuing quarter of a century a number of roads were in-
corporated, some part of whose lines would touch the county of Sacra-
mento, but none of them proceeded to construction.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 197

In 1909 and 1910 the Southern Pacific Company constructed the
Sacramento Southern Railroad, running down the Sacramento river,
with the intention of tapi)ing tlie rich fruit orchards and other lands
between the city of Sacramento and Isletou and the country lying back
of them, and developing a country rich in freight possibilities, and
also opening a short route to San Francisco. The work of con-
struction is still going on, trains being run daily as far as Wal-
nut Grove. The road will also develop the river section of Yolo
county. It was incorporated July 7, 1903, and will run down the river
to Antioch, to connect with the San Pablo railroad, which was con-
solidated with the Northern and afterwards taken over by the
Southern Pacific.

The Southern Pacific Railroad Company of California was incor-
l)orated in San Francisco, December 2, 1865, with a capital of
$50,000,000. The Southern Pacific Branch Company was incorporated
in Sacramento December 23, 1870, with a capital of $20,000,000, and
was consolidated with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of Cali-
fornia Aug-ust 19, 1873.

The Northern Railway Company was incorporated in Sacramento
July 19, 1871. On May 15, 1888, it acquired by consolidation the Win-
ters and Ukiah, the Woodland, Capay and Clear Lake, the AVest Side
and Mendocino, the Vaca Valley and Clear Lake, the San Joaquin and
Sierra Nevada, the Sacramento and Placerville, the Shingle Springs
and Placerville, the Amador Branch and the Berkeley Branch rail-
roads. The stock was increased to $26,175,000. April 12, 1898, it
was consolidated with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company of
California.

The San Pablo and Tulare Railroad Company was incorporated
in Sacramento July 19, 1871, and was consolidated with the Southern
Pacific Railroad Company of California May 4, 1888.

The Southern Pacific Company of Kentucky was incorporated in
that state March 7, 1884. It immediately took over on a lease for
ninety-nine years all the roads mentioned, as an operating company, as
well as systems in other parts of the state.

On January 1, 1903, the Southern Pacific Company instituted a
system of pensions for its superannuated employes who had been in
its service continuously for twenty-five years or more. The eni]iloves
had previously had a system of insurance among themselves, to which
many belonged, and the various brotherhoods of employes also have a
life insurance feature in their orders. Under the pension svstem of
the company it has paid to the employes retired on account of age, up
to June 30, 1912, the sum of $1,049,250, and on that date there were
four hiuidred and ninety-one pensioners on the list.

SOUTHERN PACIFIC SHOPS

Many old residents who look on the railroad shops of the Southern

198 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Pacific Company today can recall the memory of a far different aspect
which the site presented in 1860 and the earlier years of the city's
history. As far back as the early '70s, the Central Pacific Railroad
Company had made overtures to the city to the effect that if the city
would deed the site of Sutter's lake to it, the company would fill it in
as a site for a depot, shops, and for other uses. With prophetic vision
the founders of the first great overland railroad saw that its growth
would be rapid and sure, and that before long it would need a large
space for its shops, depot and yards. Sacramento was the birthplace
of the road. Its principal offices were here. What more logical place
could be found for the center of its activities on this coast? San
Francisco had spurned its opportunity and had fought in every way
in its power the sturdy group of men who had given their energies and
their fortunes to build the way across the cratinent. Why should they
place their shops and spend their money in a hostile city? And be-
sides, with the shops a hundred miles inland, the distance to haul dis-
abled cars and engines for repairs would be just that much less. There
were other good reasons besides, so the shops arose in this city.

But in the early days, Sutter slough, or China slough, as it be-
came later known, when Chinatown was located on its banks, covered
a much greater area than it did at the close of the last century.
Practically, it extended from the levee of the American river to I
street, and from Sixth street to the American river, at its old mouth.
It was not an ornamental place, and when the project of issuing fifty
year bonds for the purpose of filling it iip was broached, the citizens
who looked at its area and figured on filling in a depression that was
forty feet deep in places felt the cold shivers travel along their spines.
Then the railroad company stepped to the front with the proposition
to fill it, if the site was deeded to it. The offer was accepted tenta-
tively, and the company began its work, but it was not fully completed
until 1908, a contract having been definitely made between the city and
the Southern Pacific in 1904, by which the city reserved a certain site
on the north side of I street for a park.

The first beginning was in 1863, when a building, 16x2-!- feet, was
erected by the Central Pacific Railroad Company at the foot of I
street for the storage of tools and of sections of locomotives and cars
which had been sent around the Horn for the use of the infant rail-
road. The locomotives were set up just outside of this shop. In the
same year a rough building, 20x150 feet, was constructed at Sixth and
II streets and was used as a shop for overhauling cars that needed
repairs. Another shop was erected soon after, on the curve lending to
I street, and was used for overhauling the locomotives. It was 20x60
feet, and at one end of it was a single forge that constituted the entire
blacksn^ithing department of the company. In 1864. the car shop prov-
ing too narrow for convenience, another one, 34x130 feet, was erected
at Sixth and E streets, and just west of it a larger shop was erected

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 199

wliicli would hold three locomotives for repairs, and the blacksmithing
facilities were also increased. Soon the first boiler shop of the com-
pany, 40x50 feet, was erected, but this in turn became too small, and
was turned over to the foreman of the lumberyard as a dry-house for
seasoning timber.

Heretofore, all the rolling stock had been brought from the east,
but as the road grew the company concluded to build its own cars, and
in 1866 the first car construction shop was erected, 68x250 feet, and
business increased so rapidly that for many months it turned out a
dozen cars a day. Still the work expanded, immense amounts of lum-
ber being used, and the fine woodwork for the cars demanded atten-
tion. So in 1868, the planing mill, cabinet shop, the engine room and
the blacksmith shop were erected, also the roundhouse, with a capacity
of twenty-nine engines, was constructed. In the same year the larger
machine shop, 160x200 feet, was begun, and subsequently 315 feet were
added. In an L, the offices of the motive-power and machinery depart-
ment were located. In the same year the car shop was extended 230
feet, and a new blacksmith shop was constructed. As scrap iron ac-
cumulated, the experiment of setting up a set of rolls in the black-
smith shop was tried, and later, in 1881, the present rolling mill was
erected. The paint shop, having five L's, was built in 1872, but soon
proved too small, so in 1888 an addition to hold eight coaches was
built. The transfer table was also constructed in 1872, and in 1873 the
present car shop No. 5 was erected. In 1889 the present boiler shop
was constructed. Other buildings followed, of substantial brick and
iron, under the supervision of the master car builder, Benjamin Welch,
and the veterans of the shops call the plant "the city built by Uncle
Ben." From a small beginning the plant has increased imtil it is
the finest equipped railroad shop plant west of Chicago. Up to 1896
there had been expended for labor alone in the shops over $31,000,000,
this estimate being a very conservative one, while in the same time
over $50,000,000 was expended for material, and in the same time 7131
cars had been built in the shops, besides seventy-three engines.

As stated, the plant covers more than twenty acres, and is being
enlarged every year. It gives employment to from 2500 to 3000 men,
in busy seasons often exceeding the latter number. At present the
principal shops are: the machine shop, car repair shop, blacksmith
shop, boiler shop, spring shop, brass foundry, carpenter shop, round-
house, copper shop, locomotive shop, hammer shop, bolt shop, rolling
mill, upholstery shop and car machine shop, pianino- mill, cabinet shop,
car shop No. 5, paint shop, wheel foundry, general foundry, pipe shop,
shear shop, pattern shop, and a nuirber of smaller shops. These are
all equinne-l with the finest machiuerv, much of it of the latest pattern.
One who is interested in n^achinerv could spend several davs profitablv
in inspecting the wonders to be seen there. In each of the shops the

200 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

method of carrying on the work of construction is interesting to those
not familiar with it.

ELECTEIC KOADS

Sacramento is connected with other cities of the valle;y at present
by three electric roads — the Northern Electric, the Central California
Traction and the Sacramento and Woodland electric roads, and the
Vallejo and Northern, and Sacramento and Sierra are in course of
construction, with one, the Sacramento and Eastern, to run to Folsom
by way of Fair Oaks, and another, the Oakland, Antioch and Eastern,
to run to San Francisco, incorporated and will probably be under way
in a year or two. The West Side railroad is also incorporated, as
well as one to run to Folsom on the south side of the American River.

Of these the Northern Electric Railway is the oldest, having been
conceived by the late Henry A. Butters, who was impressed with the
need of transportation facilities between Chico and Oroville. He
associated with himself Messrs. Louis Sloss, N. D. Rideout, J. Downey
Harvey and E. R. Lilienthal, and the Northern Electric Company
was formed, with a capitalization of $3,000,000 wliich was later in-
creased to $6,000,000. The initial action was the acquisition of the
street railroads of Chico, and the road from Chico to Oroville was
comi^leted and the first train run over it April 25, 1906. The advisa-
bility of extending the road to Marysville being apparent, W. P. Ham-
mond and E. J. de Sabla joined in the undertaking, Mr. Rideout
retiring. On January 31, 1907, the road to Marysville was completed,
and the line was completed and the first train to Sacramento was
run on August 1st of that year. On December 2, 1907, the Northern
Electric Railway Company was organized, with an authorized bond
issue of $25,000,000, taking over the original company.

The Sacramento Terminal Company was formed in 1908, for the
purpose of building a belt line in this city from Eighteenth and C
streets to the water front, and was immediately leased by the North-
ern Electric. Later the Northern Electric entered into an arrange-
ment with the Vallejo Northern for full exchange of traffic, and the
joint construction of a bridge over the Sacramento river at M street,
the counties of Yolo and Sacramento bearing a proportion of the
cost. Later tlie Sacramento and Woodland Railroad Company joined
with them, and that road being finished, the first train was run over
it July 4, 1912. The Vallejo Northern is rapidly pushing its construc-
tion along and exjiects to have the road in ojieration by the beginning
of 1913.

The Central California Traction is operating from Sacramento to
Stockton, and is also working under a traffic agreement with the Santa
Fe railroad, which will probably absorb it in the course of time, thus
adding another transcontinental line to those running through this
citv and as it is announced that the Great Northern has a traffic agree-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 20]

meut with the Northern Electric, there is a strong probabiHty that in
a few years Sacramento will have four transcontinental lines carrying
produce to the east.

CHAPTER XXV

NAVIGATION

At tlie door of Sacramento flows a magnificent river of the same
name, and which, in fact, gave its name to the city in its early his-
tory. Its influence on both city and county has been a most important
factor in tlieir development. For the city it was, prior to the con-
struction of the railroad lines, the sole medium of transportation that
provided the interior with supplies for the settler and miner, and as
an outlet for conveying the products of the interior to the bay city
and the east and foreign countries. Even when the railroads came,
they served as an outlet for only a small portion of the territory
drained by and contiguous to the river, and millions of bushels of
grain, hay and other products continued to be transported by the
river route, and even today an immense amount of traffic and pro-
ducts are carried on the steamers and barges, as well as by sailing
vessels. The amount of fruit carried to this city and the bay city
has for many years been enormous.

Any section of a country which has a waterway connecting it with
tidewater is fortunate indeed, and no section could be more fortunate
in that respect than the Sacramento valley. The Sacramento river
flows through the whole extent of the vallej^, from Shasta county on
the north, to Solano county on the south, a distance of about three
hundred miles. The twelve counties embraced in this area have a
combined acreage of 11,456,528 acres, and an aggregate population of
about a quarter of a million, the area of the valley being seventeen
thousand, eight hundred and fifteen square miles. The distance to
Red Bluff, the head of navigation, is two hundred and one miles from
Sacramento, and to the mouth of the river, near Collinsville, is al)out
sixty-five miles. The debris from hydraulic mining has filled the
river — which in the early days afforded plenty of water for ocean
going steamers and vessels to come to this city — so that navigation
became difficult for vessels drawing over about four feet of water,
during the late summer and fall, but the government, by the use of
a snagl>oat and the erection of wing dams, has deepened the channel
so that even the large steamers put on by the Southern Pacific Com-
pany during the past year or two very rarely have trouble, and
there is a prospect that in the near future, the channel will be deep-
ened by the government and state to nine feet, as far as this city.

Undoubtedly the Russians were the first to navigate the river, as
they had posts at Fort Ross and Bodega, and were engaged in trade
in tallow, hides, furs, etc., and were in this region prior to 1840, trading

202 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

in the interior up to the time they sold out to Captain Sutter. At
that time, also, there was in this section an agency of the Hudson
Bay Company. In 1841 the Russians sold out to Sutter, including
a small schooner of forty tons burden. The first record we have of
its appearance up the river was in August of that year, although
it had probably made voyages on the river prior to that. After the
purchase, by the terms of which Sutter was to furnish a certain
amount of grain each year to the Russian settlements, this schooner,
manned by Sutter's Indians, made regular trips. She was taken down
to San Francisco in 1848, to carry thither the news of the discovery
of gold, and continued to be the largest schooner on the river until
the trade to the mines began. At that time the voyage from New
Helvetia, as this city was then called, to San Francisco and back
took from two to four weeks.

In the spring of 1848 the rush for gold set in, and the San Fran-
cisco Star of May 20th sarcastically alluded to it as follows: "Fleet
of launches left this place on Sunday and Monday last, bound 'up the
Sacramento river,' closely stowed with human beings led by the love
of filthy lucre to the perennial-yielding gold mines of the north, where
'a man can find upward of two ounces a day' and 'two thousand men
can find their hands full'^of hard work." May 27th, the Star said:
"Launches have plied without cessation between this place and New
Helvetia, during this time (from the discovery of gold). The Sacra-
mento, a first-class craft, left here Thursday last, thronged with pas-
sengers for the gold mines — a motley assemblage, composed of law-
yers, merchants, grocers, carpenters, cartmen and cooks, all possessed
with the desire of becoming suddenly rich." At the same time it
stated that over three hundred men were engaged in washing out
gold, and parties from all over the country were constantly arriving.
On account of the departure of her principal citizens for the gold
mines, San Francisco soon assumed a desolate appearance. A quar-
ter of a million in gold was taken to that citv in the first eight weeks,-
and during the second eight weeks, $600,000 worth. By September
six thousand persons were at the diggings, and the editor of the Star
exclaimed: "An export at last, and it is gold."

In April, 1849, the schooner Providence, one hundred tons, Hinck-
ley, master, came up the river, and the Eliodora, purchased by Sam
Brannan and loaded with goods, started up the river. The Joven
Guipuzcoana, a Peruvian vessel, and other large sailing vessels of
first class dimensions followed. At that time there were about a
dozen stores and tenements here. On the success of the Joven Guip-
uzcoana were founded the plans of the first steam navie'ation com-
panies, and the McKim and the Senator soon followed. In May the
crowning success with sailing vessels came with the trip of the bark
Whiton, Gelston, master, in seventy-two hours from San Francisco.
She was of two hundred forty-one tons burden, and came with her

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 203

royal yards crossed, without any detention, although she drew nine
and one-half feet of water.

The first steamboat that plowed the waters of either the bay or
river was one that arrived in San E^rancisco, October 14, 1847, owned
by Captain Leidesdorff and packed on a Russian bark from Sitka.
Leidesdorff had for seven years carried on trade with the Russians,
and hearing that they had a small steamboat, he sent up and pur-
chased it for his hide and tallow commerce on the small streams run-
ning into the bay. It did not exceed forty tons burden, was put
together under the lee of Yerba Buena island, and was named the
Little Sitka. She was cranky, and the weight of a person on her
guards would throw one wheel out of order. Her second trip for
business was to Sacramento, where she remained for a month, her
proprietor insisting in answer to the jibes launched at him, that he
would soon make the smoke fly on the bay, and hand the name of his
first steamboat "down to dexterity" as he pronounced it. She was
swamped by a norther in San Francisco bay in February, 1848, was
raised and the engine taken out, and was transformed into a sailing
vessel. A steamer brought around the Horn and put together at
Benicia, made a trip to this city August 17, 1849, and another one
from Philadelphia began on August 25th, to ply on the river, accom-
modating about thirty passengers and steaming "about seven knots
an hour."

About the first boat advertising for regular runs on the river
appears to have been the Sacramento, in September, 1849, commanded
by Captain Van Pelt, and carrjdng one hundred passengers, besides
freight. She was built opposite the city, where Washington now
stands, and Van Pelt made regular trips down to "New York of the
Pacific," where passengers and freight had to be transferred. About
the same time a little steam dredge, brought out by the Yerba com-
pany, was set up on a scow, and started on a trip up the Feather
river, carrying a number of bricks, at one dollar apiece, for freight,
and lumber at $150 per thousand. Two months after her arrival she
was sold for $40,000 at auction. The next boat was the Mint, also
a small one, and really the first boat to make successful regular trips
with i^assengers and freight to and from San Francisco, beginning
in October, 1849.

A little steamer named the Washington was the first to ascend
the river as far as Vernon, at the month of the Feather river, and
she afterwards made regular tri]-)s to that point. In 1850 the Aetna,
another small steamer, ascended the American as far as Norristown,
the first time a steamer had ever reached that point. Mav 8, 1850,
the Jack Hays reached Redding, at the headwaters of the Sacra-
mento river, within forty-five miles of the Trinity Diggings. The
little steamboat Linde was among the first to take a place between
here and Yuba Citv, in the fall of 1849.

204 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

The steamer New AVorld was built iu New York in the fall of 1849
and spring of 1850, purposely for a trip to California. She was 320
feet long, and of 530 tons burden. William H. Brown was the pro-
prietor, and as he became financially embarrassed, he was forced to
take the sheriff into silent partnership. The latter placed deputies
on board to remain during the launching, and to make things sure,
went on board himself, being unknown to Ed Wakeman, the captain.
The vessel was held in the port of New York, the launching being
ostensibly for the purpose of getting the boat into the water only,
but steam was raised previous to the launching. When the sheriff
asked what it meant, he was informed that it was "to wear the rust
off the bearings and see that the engine worked well." But after
steaming around the harbor for awhile, the captain put to sea, against
the protests of the sheriff. As the captain and crew were more
numerous than the sheriff and his deputies, they put the latter on
shore in rowboats, and came to California around Cape Horn, making
a fine voyage, and arriving in San Francisco July 11, 1850. The
New World and the Senator made alternate trips to Sacramento for
a long time. Afterwards, the New World was employed in the coast-
ing and ocean trade and later was overhauled and put into service
at San Francisco as a magnificent ferryboat, and used as such for
many years. The Senator was an ocean steamer and arrived in Sac-
ramento November 6, 1849, with a load of passengers and freight.
She was 755 tons measurement, and drew nine and a half feet of
water. The steamer Miner brought passengers and freight in De-
cember, and afterwards continued her trips to Mecklenlierg, now
Marys\'ille, on the Feather river.

In 1850 there were twenty-eight steamers in operation on the
Sacramento and Feather rivers, and in the same year twenty-three
barks, nineteen brigs and twenty-one lirigantines arrived in Sacra-
mento.

The California Steam Navigation Company was organized in
March, 1854, with a capital stock of $2,500,000, and began operations
on the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, with a large number of
steamboats. In 1850 the company launched the Chrysopolis, 1625 tons
measurement, and the largest steamer ever run on the river until the
Seminole and Navajo were placed on the route in 1911.

In 1867 the steamers operating on the river and its tributaries
were as follows: eleven steamers to San Francisco; three steamers
to Knight's Landing; two steamers to Red Bluff; one steamer to
Chico; one steamer to Colusa; one steamer to Princeton; one steamer
to Cache Creek, and three steamers to Marysville. In 1867 one hun-
dred and three steamers arrived in Sacramento.

In 1869, when the Central Pacific railroad was completed, that
company bought out the California Steam Navigation Company, and
for years the Southern Pacific Company has been operating the line

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 205

of steamers. The mail boats leaving for San Francisco in the morn-
ing are the Apache and Modoc. During the year 1911 two magnifi-
cent floating palaces, the Navajo and the Seminole, were put on,
leaving this city in the evening.

The Sacramento Wood Company was organized May 1, 1869, with
the late Captain Thomas Dwyer as president, and the late Captain
J. H. Eoberts as secretary. The company put on the steamer San
Joaquin No. 1, and several barges, and engaged in general freight
business between San Francisco and Butte City, one hundred and
eighteen miles above Sacramento. During the '70s the company added
three steamers to its fleet — the Varuna, San Joaquin No. l!, and San
Joaquin No. 3, and extended its route to Mcintosh's Landing, one
hundred and sixty miles above this city. It also operated seven
barges and had several traction engines of the Roberts-Doane pat-
tern, running from the foothills on both sides of the river, carrying
grain from these distant points to the river landings for shipment on
the comjDany's barges to tidewater. Each engine drew a train of from
fifteen to twenty wagons over the county roads, the capacity of each
wagon being about six tons.

The Sacramento Transportation Company was organized in 1882,
succeeding the Sacramento Wood Company, and under the same man-
agement. It is now operating seven steamers and twenty-three barges
in the grain-carrying trade between points on the Upper Sacramento
river and Port Costa and San Francisco, and also in freighting at the
various landings along the river as far as Red Bluff. In tlie low
water season the company's steamers and barges are only alile to
ascend as far as Chieo Landing, one hundred and forty-eight miles
above Sacramento.

In 1874 the firm of Miller and Eaton placed two steamers and
several barges on the Upper Sacramento in the grain-carrying busi-
ness. In the same year Messrs. D. E. Knight, N. D. Rideout and
W. T. Ellis, prominent Marysville citizens, established a weekly
freighting service between Marysville and San Francisco. They had
two steamers and several barges in service, and continued in the
business till 1889.

In 1875 the California Transportation Company was organized,
with Capt. A. Nelson as president and Capt. N. Anderson as secre-
tary. The two captains, as far back as 1856, had schooners on the
river, and in 1866 began to operate the steamer Reform. On its
organization the California Transportation Company put several
steamers in service between Clarksburg and San Francisco and also
on the lower tributaries, engaging heavily in the transportation of
fruits, vegetables and perishable products generally, which the river
lands below the city produce so bountifully. They also, in October,
1907, established a freight and passenger service between Sacramento
and San Francisco. The Chin-Du-Wan and S. M. Whipple were also

206 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

steamers in tlie river service in the '70s, and the calliope of the former
woke the echoes along the river for a number of years.

In 1901 the Farmers' Transportation Company was organized and
one steamer was put on the run between Colusa and San Francisco.
The Lauritzen brothers' Weitchpec; the Oriole and Sea Gull, L. M.
Brainard & Son, owners; the Sentinel, H. W. Crosbj^, owner; the
Gretta A. and Albatross, Liuggi Bros., owners ; the San Jose, Stand-
ard Oil Company, owner; the Neponset, No. 2, a trading boat, Ryan
& Cleary, owners, and a number of schooners, are operating on the
river, in addition to the boats of the organizations mentioned.

An immense amount of produce of all kinds is transported on
the river. Indeed, the statement has been made that the Sacramento
river carries as great an annual tonnage as the Mississippi. It is
an inspiring sight to see a steamer towing barges loaded with eight
hundred tons of wheat each, when the stage of the river will permit
loading to that amount, and gives the beholder a practical illustration
of the bounteous production of the valley uplands.

But the tale of the river is not all one of prosperity. Steamboat
explosions and other accidents were fretjuent in the early days, and
some of them were very disastrous. The machinery was often defect-
ive in those days. During the first few years subsequent to the dis-
covery of gold and the introduction of steam vessels into the state,
it was estimated that on San Francisco bay and its tributaries alone,
there were two or three explosions a week. Indeed, they became so
common that the newspapers ceased to give details unless they were
peculiarly disastrous.

The first explosion of which there is any account was that of the
steamer Fawn, which occurred August 18, 1850, and the Sagamore
suffered similarly in the following October, the Major Tompkins fol-
lowing, January' 23, 1851. During the early part of 1853, the Jack
Hays was overhauled and repaired expressly for the traffic between
Sacramento and Marysville, in opposition to the Governor Dana,
and was renamed R. K. Page. On her first trip up the river, March
23rd, she came alongside of her opponent and the crew and passengers
began cheering, each one hurrahing for his boat. They began racing,
and the engineer of the Page tossed in a barrel of oil. As they were
passing Nicolaus her boiler exploded, being driven forward. Daniel
Moore, the former captain of the boat, Thomas Kirbey and Lieut.
Harry Moore were standing on the hurricane deck, and were never
seen afterward.

The Jennie Lind, while on a trip to Alviso, on San Francisco bay.
suffered a terrible explosion April 11, 1853. Between forty and fifty
of her passengers, most of whom were at dinner at the time, were
killed or badly scalded.

On October 18, 1853, the boiler of the American Eagle exploded,
on the San Joaquin river, at a point known as the Three Sloughs.

I

HISTOEY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 207

twenty-five miles below Stockton, rending the vessel to pieces, killing
one of the crew and three passengers. There were fifty-three pas-
sengers on board, and Hardiston was the captain. On the afternoon
of the same day the steamer Stockton, while passing New York land-
ing, burst its boiler, killing one person and scalding eight more. One
of the latter, Capt. J. B. Sharp, died the next day.

The Sanger's boiler exploded on January 8, 1854, on San Fran-
cisco bay, killing three and scalding severely five more, and wrecking
the vessel. On the 10th of the same month a boiler of the Helen
Hensley exploded at San Francisco, just as she was going to leave
for Benicia, and killed two men. One passenger was thrown upon a
bed, and, with it, clear over upon the wharf. He picked himself up
and coolly remarked that he guessed he would not go to Benicia that
day. The Secretary, Capt. E. W. Travis, exploded April 15, 1854,
when between the islands in San Francisco bay known as the "Broth-
ers and Sisters." She was racing with the Nevada, and the engineer
was seen to lay an oar across the lever of the safety valve, and that
was bending up just before the explosion took place. Of sixty per-
sons on board, sixteen were killed and thirty-one wounded. The
Nevada picked up the survivors.

The Pearl, of the Combination Line, burst a boiler January 27,
1855, just below the mouth of the American river, on her way from
Marysville, and while racing the Enterprise of the Citizens' Line.
There were ninety-three persons on board, and fifty-six were killed,
including the captain, E. T. Davis. Most of the passengers were on
the front part of the boat, as she approached the landing. James
Eobinson would have been drowned had not a large • bloodhound
jumped into the water and saved him. Of four ladies on board, none
were injured, but the vessel was a total wreck. The legislature, which
was in session, adjourned in consequence of the terrible event.

On February 5, 1856, the Belle, running between San Francisco
and Marysville, exploded her boiler, when about nine miles above this
city. The captain, Charles H. Houston, was killed, as well as between
twenty and thirty others. The steamer G-eneral Eedington, which
was coming down the river, picked up the survivors, and the vessel
sunk almost immediately.

On August 25, 1861, the boiler of the J. A. McClelland, Capt. C
Mills commanding, exploded when about six miles by water and two
by land from Knight's Landing. There were about thirty persons on
board, and fifteen were killed outright, several fatally injured and
all the rest but one were more or less injured. The whole forward
portion of the deck was torn away, and a large piece of the boiler
was rolled up like a piece of paper and thrown across the river, a
distance of two hundred or three hundred yards. Sheldon S. Bald-
win, the pilot, was blown into the air with the pilothouse and several
companions. He averred that he must have gone up at least two

208 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

Irandred feet, and came strais'lit down into the place where the l)oiler
had lieen, "not much hurt." The hnll, which sank immediately after-
wards, was raised, the vessel rebuilt, christened the Rainbow, ran for
a time as a strong opposition boat, and was finally bought off by the
Steam Navigation Company.

The Washoe exploded a boiler September 5, 1864, thirty-five
miles below this city, and ten miles above Rio Vista, with about one
hundred seventy-five people on board, killing about half of them and
severely injuring more than half of the remainder. Capt. Albert
Foster, with the steamer Antelope, picked up the survivors and
hastened toward Sacramento, but ran aground on a bar opposite R
street and was delayed there for some hours. Captain Foster tolled
the bell to notify the citizens of the disaster, and the levee was crowded
with anxious people, the fire bells having been tolled in response to
his notice.

The Yosemite, Capt. Poole, suffered an explosion of a boiler
on the first revolution of her wheels, as she left the wharf at Rio
Vista October 12, 18fi5, with about one hundred fifty people on board.
The cause of the explosion was defective iron, all the best iron having
been ke]it in the east during the war for military purposes. About
one hundred lives were lost, thirty-two of them being Chinamen.
The bulkheads were too strong to permit the steam to expand into
the hull, so it iiushed upward, making a great vacancy, into which
the iieoi^le fell. Ca])tain Fourat, who recently retired from the river,
pensioned by the Southern Pacific Company, was the pilot on that
occasion, and the steamer Chrysojiolis, upward bound, brought the
dead and wounded to this city.

The Julia exploded in San Francisco bay, nearly opposite Al-
catraz, in September, 1866, while rounding it on her return trip to
Stockton. Thirteen were killed, among them the engineer, Mr. Long.
Captain Fourat, being near with a boat, picked up some of the dead.
There have been a number of minor accidents, but conditions have
so improved in these days that serious ones seldom happen.

A river tragedy which occurred more than fifty years ago, bring-
ing death to thirty, the evidence of which the waters of the Sacra-
mento river have covered for years, was brought to mind again when
the buckets of the dredger Vulcan, working at the Monument ranch
eight miles up the river brought u]i the boxing of the shaft of the
steamboat Belle which was blown to ])ieces at that spot in the late
'50s by an explosion of the boilers.

Coated with quartz, rusted in i)laces but still in fair sha]ie con-
sidering its long immersion, the boxing is one of the few relics which
have ever been discovered from the remains of the Belle.

The steamer Belle, Capt. Charles H. Houston in command, left
tliis city Fel)ruary 5, 1856, for Red Bluff with sixty souls aboard.
When opposite the jiresent Monument ranch the boilers exploded with-

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 209

out auy warning. The Belle was shattered from stem to stern and all
but forty feet of the rear end of the boat sank immediately. The pas-
sengers, men, women and children, were blown into the water, many
frightfully mangled. Thirty-two were saved out of the total sail-
ing list.

There was some lively opposition in the river traffic in the early
days, it proving so profitable to the owners of vessels and steamers.
The steam propeller McKim, of 326 tons, came to Sacramento in Sep-
tember, 1849. On her arrival the citizens turned out as for a holiday,
and joined in an ovation to the first "big" steamer that had arrived
here. One of her trips, under Captain Maey, brought the owners
$16,000. The Senator, of 755 tons, arrived in this city on November
6 of the same year. The fare at that time was only $30; berths $5,
and meals for cabin passengers, $1.50. When trade opened in the
winter, lively opposition began, one set of agents on the wharf ex-
tolling the merits of the McKim above all the other boats, and
another saying that the McKim was a "scow" and a "junk," and
that the Senator and New World were the only boats for speed and
safety. The competition benefited travelers by reducing the fare, and
many other steamers coming on the river, in 1851 the fare had been
reduced to one dollar.

On September 18, 1851, the steamer Comanche was launched
on the l^olo side of the river. In 1855 the Defender came up and found
no place for her to land; she finally moored to the hulk Dimon. A
few minutes afterwards the steamer Pike, also tied to the Damon,
swung out into the river, and the Defender took her place. It was
found that the gangway had been boarded up, but the deckhands soon
o])ened a way with their axes, and the passengers and freight were
discliarged. When the time for the departure of the Defender ap-
])roaelied, a band began to discourse music, to entice passengers on
board. A few minutes afterward a small steamer in the stream
began to sound her shrill whistle, drowning the music of the band,
stoii]3ing when it stojiped and beginning again when it began to play.
The ])eo)ile on shore cursed the steamer, but soon a man and two boys
armed with Chinese gongs essayed to rival the band and the steamer.
The noise became so strenuous that Judge Morrison was obliged to
adjourn his court. Such scenes were not uncommon in the early days
of competition.

yOLO BEIDGES

Although a bridge over the Sacramento river is spoken of prior
to 1857, there is no record extant that we have found indicating when
or by whom it was built, or whether or not there was more than one.

By an act approved by the California legislature, however, April
3, 1857, the Sacramento and Yolo Bridge Company was incorporated,
consisting- of Johnson Price, V. E. Geiger and George Years, to erect

210 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

a toll bridge across the Sacramento river from Broad street, in Sac-
ramento county, to Ann street, in Washington, Yolo county. The
drawbridge was not to be less than sixty feet wide for the passage
of vessels, and the bridge must be completed within two years. At
12 M., September 18, 1857, the first pile for the bridge was driven.
The bridge was eight hundred feet long, was built on five piers, sup-
ported by six hundred piles, at least twelve inches in diameter and
driven thirty feet to the solid river bed. It was of Leonard's patent,
four spans of one hundred thirty-five feet each, the draw when opened
having two spaces of seventy-five feet each. It was completed and
opened for traffic June 27, 1858, and cost $60,000.

The California Pacific Company began the construction of a new
bridge on the Howe truss i^attern, October 2, 1869, in order to allow
its cars to cross the river and enter Sacramento. While the bridge
was being built the steamer Belle ran as a ferry boat. The draw to
this bridge was two hundred feet long, leaving an opening on each
side seventy feet clear. The bridge was completed January 15, 1870,
and on that day William Rowan, chief engineer, ran across on the
engine Sacramento. This bridge was rebuilt by the Central Pacific
railway in 1878, the draw being swung into place on December 5th
of that year, and the bridge opened for traffic the next day. These
bridges were of one story, the trains and wagon tracks occupying the
same level, and flagmen gaiarding each end in order to promote the
safety of those traveling in wagons. The railroad company had pur-
chased the bridge of the Sacramento and Yolo Bridge Company in
June, 1878.

In 1893 the Southern Pacific Company and the counties of Yolo
and Sacramento built a bridge jointly at the foot of H street. This
bridge differed from the others in having two stories, the lower one
on the street level, for the railroad trains, and the upper one for
foot passengers and wagon traffic, elevated above the railroad tracks
and with an inclined plane as an approach on the Sacramento side,
running from Second street to the top of the bridge, and a similar
approach on the Yolo side. A third approach ran from the top of
the bridge, joining the Sacramento approach at that point and run-
ning down to the Pioneer mill, thus enabling teams to get to the mill
without crossing the network of tracks in the railroad company's
yard. When the Pioneer mill went out of business this approach was
taken down. This bridge stood until 1912, but as it had outlived its
usefulness, a new bridge of steel was constructed by the Southern
Pacific Company. The bridge until lately in use was to have been
of steel, and the counties contributed to its cost with that understand-
ing. The fact of its being constructed of wood was the cause of a
Ions' controversy and litigation between the counties and the companv.
One-hnlf of the $30,000 which the county had agreed to pay was paid
at first, but the second half was refused, on the ground stated. The

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 211

supreme court, however, held that as the county had used the bridge,
it must pay for it, and the case was finally settled by payment in full.

This bridge was completed in December, 1895, the total cost being
$261,000, to which Sacramento covmty contributed, as stated, $30,000,
and Yolo county $10,000.

The new steel bridge constructed near the site of the one built
in 18G9 is said to be one of the finest pieces of construction of its kind.
Its cost is $786,000, which includes $161,671 for overhead construction
of a highway for communication between Sacramento and Yolo coun-
ties, and the structure and approach thereto. The width of the draw,
when opened, is one hundred seventy feet, and the total weight of
the bridge is 3389 tons.

During the year 1910 the Northern Electric and Vallejo Northern
electric roads combined to build a bridge across the' river. There was
much discussion in relation to the site, as the river transportation
companies claimed that if it were placed too close to the existing
bridge there would be great danger of wreck to the boats plying on
the river when it was at flood height. The board of supervisors de-
bated the question at considerable length, but the war department,
which controls the river, finally granted permission to the companies
to build the bridge at the foot of M street, instead of P street, as
desired by the transportation companies. The estimated cost of the
bridge, which is of steel construction, is $380,000, but will probably
amount to $400,000. The draw is one hundred seventy feet in width.
Of the cost, it was agreed that Sacramento county should pay $118,-
668, and Yolo county $33,333.33. Under a later agreement the Sac-
ramento and Woodland road pays a proportion and the Antioch road
will also probably do so, lessening the expense to the county.

CHAPTER XXVI

LOCAL JUDICIARY AND ATTORNEYS
By Judge W. A. Anderson

HOW OUR TRIBUNALS HAVE BEEX ORGANIZED, WHO HAVE ADMINISTERED
JUSTICE IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY, AND ADVOCATES AT THE BAR

There could be nothing more instructive and interesting than the
origin and development of the judicial system and the aids thereto
by the bar of Sacramento City. In fact the history of the bench and
bar of this' great state had its inception in Sacramento, where the
great legal minds were located in the early history of the state.

The southern part of the state was governed chiefly by the old
system of Mexico ; but in Sacramento the common law was at once
established, and common sense was at all times interwoven into the
decrees and .iudgments, in the start somewhat crude in their con-
struction, but very soon developed into a splendid system with the

212 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

aid of the bright genius of the early members of the bar. In this
sketch it will be our endeavor to give a brief reference to many of
those brilliant men who have long since crossed the Dark Eiver, and
who in their time labored in the local field for the betterment of the
law and the administration of justice.

Under Mexican rule the government of California was conducted
under the laws of March 20th and May 23rd, 1837, and those laws
were observed on the acquisition of the country by the United States,
until the organization of the sta'te government. They provided for
the selection of alcaldes, whose duties were to care for good order
and public tranquility, to see that police regulations, laws and decrees
were enforced, to provide for the apprehension of criminals, and in
some cases to impose fines and imprisonment upon malefactors. There
were also justices of the peace, who served as municipal and judicial
officers. There was in the territory a superior tribunal, consisting
of four judges and an attorney-general, which had the general review
of cases tried before inferior courts. There were also courts of
"First Instance," in which cases both criminal and civil were orig-
inally brought.

The first legislature, by an act passed March 16, 1850, divided
the state into nine judicial districts and constituted the counties of
Sacramento and Eldorado the sixth judicial district. Afterwards the
counties of Sacramento and Y^olo composed that district, and it so
existed until the taking elTeet of the constitution of 1879, which abol-
ished that court.

The same legislature, by an act ]iassed April 13, 1850, created
a county court in each county, and by an act ap]iroved on the 11th day
of that month, the court of sessions was created, to be composed of
the county judge and two justices of the peace, who were to serve as
associate justices. The latter were chosen by the justices of the
peace of the county. That court had jurisdiction in cases of misde-
meanor, and also exercised functions now performed by the board of
supervisors, such as the supervision of claims against the county,
and management of roads, etc. Subsequently the court of sessions
was abolished and its jurisdiction vested in the county court. Its
legislative and supervisorial powers were transferred to the board of
supervisors. The present state constitution abolished all of these
courts and provided for the organization of a superior court in the
county, with two departments and two judges, with civil and criminal
jurisdiction.

In the latter part of August, 1849, General B. Eiley, acting mili-
tary governor of California, appointed James S. Thomas judge of
the court of first instance, with criminal jurisdiction. On the 2nd of
September, 1849, Thomas entered upon the duties of his office. A
suit was instituted for the recovery of inoney. A summons was made
returnable the same day at four o'clock, at which time judgment was

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 213

entered and execution ordered. This gives some idea of the rapidity
with which business, even of a judicial character, was transacted at
that early period of Sacramento's history. On the 3rd of September,
Judge Thomas appointed J. P. Rogers clerk of his court. The latter
gentleman served in that capacity until tlie 19th of November follow-
ing, and resigned, whereupon James R. Lawrence was appointed. He
(jontinued until the 27th of December, at which time Presley Dunlap
was appointed to the position.

Judge Shannon opened his court for criminal Inisiness in Sep-
tember, 1849. R. A. Wilson was appointed clerk, and S. C. Hastings,
afterwards chief justice of the supreme court of the state and subse-
quently attorney-general, also the founder of Hastings Law College,
acted as prosecuting attorney. D. B. Hanner, who had been elected
slieriff b.v the people in their primary capacity, attended both civil
and criminal courts. The first case before Judge Shannon was a
prosecution against a party for stealing a cow from Samuel Norris.
During the trial defendant's counsel objected to the proceedings
because they were not in conformity with the constitutional pro\'ision
guaranteeing to every party accused of high crime, that before he
could be put upon trial he must have been indicted by a grand jury.
The court held that inasmuch as the defendant had not raised the
question in the beginning of the case, he was deemed as waiving his
right, and that the trial must proceed. The defendant was found
guilty and fined two Irandred dollars and costs, which amounted to
five hundred fifteen dollars; rather costly beef!

About December 1, 1849, R. A. Wilson succeeded to the bench,
vice Shannon, deceased. On January 11, 1850, he appointed A. J.
MeCall clerk of his court for Sacramento, and on January 26th he
appointed Stephen J. Field clerk of his court, to reside at Marysville.
Mr. Field was afterwards supreme justice of the state of California,
and associate justice of the supreme court of the United States.
During the time Sacramento was flooded that winter, Wilson held his
court at Marysville. The two courts alluded to did the judicial busi-
ness of tlie district, both civil and criminal, until the organization of
the judiciary under the state constitution. May 30, 1850.

The first district judges were elected by the legislature March
30, 1850, and James S. Thomas was elected judge of the sixth judicial
district. He resigned November 9th following. Tod Robinson was
api^ointed by the governor to succeed Judge Thomas January 2, 1851,
and assumed office upon the eighth day of the same month. Ferris
Forman succeeded Robinson by appointment on Aug:ust 13, 1851; and
in September of the same year, Lewis Aldrich assumed the office.
He resigned November 19, 1852, and A. C. Monson was appointed
by Governor Bigler on November 26, 1852. Judge Monson took office
on the first of December of that year. Monson had been elected at
the general election on November 2, 1852. He resigned August 17,

214 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

1857, and Governor Johnson, on the 3rd of September, 1857, appointed
Charles T. Botts to succeed him. At the general election held Sep-
tember 1, 1858, John H. McKune was elected, and was re-elected
October 21, 1863. On October 20, 1869, Lewis Ramage was elected,
and on October 20, 1875, Samuel C. Denson was elected. Judge Den-
son served until the new constitution, abolishing the office, took effect.

Judge Thomas, after his resignation, returned to the east, and
died at St. Louis, in 1857 or '58. Robinson, who was a prominent
member of the bar and belonged to a family of distinguished lawj-ers,
died in San Mateo county, October 27, 1870. Forman was afterwards
secretary of state. Judge Aldrich died at San Francisco, May 18,
1885. Judge Monson moved east, and died there. Judge Botts was
a brother of John Minor Botts. He had been a member of the first
constitutional convention of the state and was afterwards state printer.
He died in San Francisco, October 4, 1884. . Judge Ramage removed
to Kansas City, and died there, February 14, 1879. Judge Denson
was afterwards elected superior judge of Sacramento county, resigned
that office, and is now engaged in the active practice of the law in
San Francisco.

As has been stated, the court of sessions was composed of the
county judge and two associates. The latter were elected by a con-
vention of the justices of the peace, held on the first Monday of
October of each year, except the first convention, which was held
May 20, 1850. C.C. Sackett and Charles H. Swift were then elected
associates. The associates held office for two years. On November
27, 1850, the county treasurer resigned, and Swift was appointed to
fill the vacancy. James Brown was elected associate in his stead, and
assumed the duties of his office February 7, 1851. On August 14th
following, D. D. Bullock succeeded Brown. The last meeting of the
court of sessions was held July 6, 1862. The following is a list of
the subsequent judges of the court from Octoliei', 1851, to October,
1862 :

1851— E. J. Willis, judge; George Wilson and James R. Gates,
associates.

1852-53 — E. J. Willis, judge; he resigned Novembei- 18th, and
John Heard was appointed. James R. Gates and J. T. Day were
associates.

1853-54 — John Heard, judge; H. Lockwood and B. D. Fry, asso-
ciates.

1855-56— John Heard, judge; S. N. Baker and C. C. Jenks, asso-
ciates.

1856-57 — Same.

1858-59 — Robert Robinson, judge; James (*oggins and W. B.
Whitesides, associates.

1859-60— Robert Robinson, judge; James Coggins and Hodgkins,
associates.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 215

1860-61— Robert C. Clark, judge.

1861-62 — Robert C. Clark, judge; James Coggins and George
Cone, associates.

After the abolishment of the court of sessions Judge ('lark
continued county judge, was suecessiveh' elected to that ofifice and
occupied it until the abolishment of the county court by the operation
of the new constitution. The county court also exercised the func-
tions of a probate court.

Judge Willis left Sacramento and returned to the east in earl\'
days. Wilson died in one of the northern counties of this state a
number of years ago. Judges Day and Heard are dead. Judge Jenks
removed to Oakland and held public office there. Judge Coggins died
a number of years ago. Judge Cone was afterwards a member of the
state legislature from this county, and is now dead. Judge Clark has
been a senator and an assembljanan, and after the abolishment of the
county court was elected, with Judge Denson, a judge of the superior
court and held office until the time of his death.

At the first election held under the new constitution, September
3, 1879, Samuel C. Denson and Robert W. Clark were elected judges
of the superior court of the county of Sacramento. Judge Denson
resigned December 16, 1882, and on the 18th day of the same mouth.
Governor Perkins appointed Thomas B. McFarland to fill the vacancy.
The latter was elected by the people to succeed himself at the general
election held November 4, 1884; and at the general election held
November 2, 1886, Judge McFarland was elected one of the justices
of the state supreme court. He resigned the office of superior judge,
and Governor Stoneman, on December 31, 1886, appointed John W.
Armstrong to the office. At the general election held November 6,
1888, Armstrong was elected to succeed himself, and has been dead
for some years.

Judge Clark died January 27, 1883, and Governor Stoneman aj)-
pointed John W. Armstrong to succeed him. At the general election
held November 4, 1884, W. C. Van Fleet was elected for the full term.
In 1890 A. P. Catlin and W. C. Van Fleet became judges of the
superior court. Then came Catlin and Matt F. Johnson, Judge Van
Fleet having become a member of the supreme court. In 1895 a third
court was created by the legislature, and Governor James H. Rudd
appointed Add C. Hinkson as the judge thereof. Judge Hinkson died
in this city in July, 1911. At the next election, J. W. Hughes and
E. C. Hart, with Judge Matt F. Johnson, were elected. Judge John-
son died during his term, and Governor Budd appointed Peter J.
Shields in his place. The bench then consisted of Hughes, Hart and
Shields. Judge Hart became a member of the appellate court, third
district, and Governor Pardee appointed C. N. Post to the vacancy
thus created. At the succeeding election Judges Post, Shields and
Hughes were elected, and are now on the bench.

216 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Courts in the early days were very crude affairs in their manner
of adjudicating the rights of litigants. Justice's courts are proverbial
at times for their quaint way of administering justice. It is before
one of these august tribunals that we recall a case that occurred at
Mormon Island in this county in 1851, in which A. P. Catlin perpe-
ti-ated a great trick upon S. W. Sanderson, a young attorney of
Coloma, Eldorado county. It seemed that Sanderson's clients were
working an old river bed, and constructing a dam for that purpose.
Catlin desired to stop this work, and conceived the idea of hoodwink-
ing the old justice of the peace to grant an injunction to stop the work.
Acting upon the thought, he gravely proceeded to secure an injunction
and had it served and enforced. Sanderson was sent for, and came
before the justice armed with books and authorities and tried to con-
vince him that he had no jurisdiction of such eases, and appealed to
Catlin not to impose on the court. Catlin looked wise and approvingly
of the court's procedure, which made the old justice obdurate, and he
stuck to his injunction. Sanderson left for the county seat in a tow-
ering rage to secure proper relief, but before he could secure the same
the object Catlin had in view had been accomplished by the justice's
injunction.

It may not be generally known, that in the early history of Cali-
fornia other crimes than murder were, by statute, made punishable
by death, but such is the fact. On the 14th day of April, 1852, George
Tanner was tried in the court of sessions of Yuba county for the
crime of grand larceny, in having stolen flour, potatoes, etc., of the
value of $400. The verdict of the jury was "guilty of grand larceny,
punishable with death." The defendant appealed to the supreme
court, which affirmed the judgment, and the prisoner was executed
July 13, 1852. Chief Justice Murray delivered the opinion of the
court and evidently did not concur with the principles of law, for
after setting forth the statute, he used the following language: "It
is not our purpose to discuss the policy of this law, although we regret
that our legislature has considered it necessary to thus retrograde,
and in the face of the wisdom and experience of the present day,
resort to a punishment for a less crime than murder, which is alike
disgusting and abhorrent to the common sense of every enlightened
people. ' '

In connection with the reference to Paschal H. Coggins, the fol-
lowing novel case is quoted : A remarkable case of mistaken identity
was recently related by attorney Paschal H. Coggins before the
Medical Juris]irudence Society in Philadelphia, as having come under
his personal observation. Two men — John A. Mason, of Boston, and
John A. Mason, of Illinois — left their respective homes and went to
California in search of health and wealth. They were both wagon-
makers. One left a wife and two sons in Boston, and the other a wife
and two daughters in Illinois. The Boston wife heard nothing of her

HISTORY OF SACRAMKNTO COUNTY 217

husband after three years' absence, and twenty years hiter lieard of
the death of John A. Mason, a wagon-maker. She brought suit for
his property, his photograph was identified by twenty witnesses, but
at the last moment the Illinois wife turned up and proved tliat the
man was her husband, and the later developments showed tliat the
Boston pioneer died alone and friendless. — N. Y. Graphic.

Upon this the Themis comments as follows: "The Coggins re-
ferred to was a resident of this city, and at one time a law partner
of Creed Haymond. He was also a justice of the peace here, married
a daughter of one of our pioneer citizens, and afterward removed to
Philadel])hia, where he has since resided. He is a son of Paschal
Coggins, at one time one of the editors of the Sacramento Union,
and who represented this county two terras in the assembly. Coggins
Sr., ran for congress against H. P. Page in 1872, on the Independent
ticket. The case referred to was that of Supervisor John A. Mason,
of this city. It was certainly one of the most remarkable cases that
ever came up in court, but the statement in the Graphic is not
strictly correct. The case was tried before the late Judge Clark. In
the contest Haymond and Coggins appeared for the lady contestant,
and the late George Cadwalader and W. A. Anderson for the will. It
was developed that there were two John A. Masons; that they fol-
lowed the same trade — carriage making; and that they came to Cali-
fornia about the same time; one, however, by steamer, and the other
overland. By a strange coincidence the Mr. Coggins referred to was
a passenger on the same steamer with the Mason who came by sea,
and he was referred to in the printed passenger list as an "infant."
It further developed that the two Masons worked at their trades in
the same block in Sacramento cit.v — Third street between I and J.
After the death of Supervisor Mason, his sons, grown men, applied
for letters on his estate; their issuance was contested by a lady and two
grown daughters, who claimed to be the wife and offspring of Mason.
There is no doubt that the contest was in good faith and that the lady
believed that the deceased was her husband. The testimony, however,
developed that there must have been two John A. Masons, and that
the husband of the lady contestant had, like many other of the Cali-
fornia argonauts, disappeared long years ago. It was strange that
the photographs of Supervisor Mason were identified by his mother
and other relatives in Massachusetts, and that the same jjictures
were identified by prominent citizens of Illinois as being the other
Mason. Judge Clark held against the contestants, but said that there
was no doubt of the good faith of their contest."

ATTORNEYS WHO HAVE CROSSED THE DARK RIVER

Gen. H. W. Halleck; A. C. Peachy; Billings; Hum-
phrey Griffith; E. B. Crocker; William S. Long; John Hereford;
Al. Hereford; E. J. C. Kewen; John H. Hardy; Hal Clayton; B. F.

218 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Ankeny; James H. Ralston; F. S. Mumforcl; Col. E. D. Baker; Henry
Meredith; Judge Silas W. Sanderson; Col. J. C. Zabriskie; P. W. S.
Rayle; John R. McConnell; Daniel J. Thomas; Judge A. C. Monson;
Gregory Yale; John C. Burch; Judge Charles T. Botts; D. R.
Sample; Theron Reed; Judge Lewis Aldrich; George H. Cartter;
Tod Robinson; Robert Robinson; J. B. Harmon; R. H. Stanley;
William H. Weeks; Thomas Sunderland; Milton S. Latham; Frank
McConnell; Edward Sanders ; Judge W. C. Wallace; Judge W. T. Wal-
lace; Morris M. Estee; Judge Robert F. Morrison; Murray Morrison;
Col. L. Sanders; George W. Bowie; William I. Ferguson (killed in a
duel by George Pen Johnston) ; J. Neely Johnson (once Governor) ;
William Neely Johnson; John G. Hyer; Ferris Forman; Horace
Smith; Philip C. Edwards (a pioueer of 1836) ; Thomas C. Edwards;
Henry Hare Hartley; George E. Moore; D. W. Welty; Harris C.
Harrison; James E. Smith; Judge Lewis Ramage; Joseph S. Wallis;
F. H. Moore; Henry K. Snow; Henry C. McCreery; Judge Robert
C. Clark; Judge John Heard; M. C. Tilden; Henry Edgerton'j W. B. C.
Brown ; James C. Goods ; Presley Dunlap ; James W. Coffroth ; George
Cadwalader; J. G. Severance; George A. Blanchard; J. C. Tubbs;
Ed. F. Taylor; Joseph AV. Winans; Samuel Cross; Judge H. 0.
Beatty; G.'w. Spaulding; S. L. Rogers; N. Greene Curtis; W. T.
Hinkson; W. P. Harlow; W. B. G. Keller; Judge Matt F. Johnson;
Judge A. P. Catlin; Judge John H. McKune; James L. English;
Charles A. Waring; Peter J. Hopper; Judge C. G. W. French;
Thomas Conger; Thomas W. Gilmer; Peter Hanmm: I. S. Brown;
W. R. Cantwell; Thomas J. Clunie; Henry Stan-; Judge Add C.
Hinkson; George G. Davis; A. C. Freeman; Henry C. Ross; Jay R.
Brown; Judge Thomas B. McFarland; Albert M. Johnson; Edward
Dwyer; Alvin J. Bruner; Creed Ha>anond; A. L. Hart; L. S. Taylor;
F. D. Ryan; Jud C. Brusie; J. P. Counts; James B. Devine; Tsaao
Joseph; W. S. Mesick; Ed. M. Martin; Henry L. Buckley.

ATTORNEYS NOW PRACTICING IN SACRAMENTO

W. A. Anderson (ex-police judge) ; Eugene Aram; J. W. Adams;
Frank F. Atkinson; C. W. Baker; Charles M. Beckwith; J. J. Bauer;
C. H. S. Bidwell; Charles 0. Busick; Charles A. Bliss; Hugh B.
Bradford; J. W. S. Butler (Butler & Swisler) ; J. Frank Brown; Jolin
Q. Brown; W. J. Carragher; Thomas B. Christianson ; J. D. Cornell;
R. M. Clarken; Charles H. Crocker; H. C. Cline; S. W. Cross; J. S.
Daly; A. A. DeLigne (DeLigne & Jones) ; H. S. Derby; W. H. Devlin;
R. t. Devlin; Alfred Dalton, Jr.; S. W. Downey (Downey & Pullen) ;
P. S. Driver; B. F. Driver; C. H. Dunn; C. A. Elliott; W. F. George,
L. J. Hinsdale (George & Hinsdale); W. A. Gett; Green & Smith;
Charles B. Harris, John C. March (Harris & March) ; A. L. Hart, Jr.;
S. H. Hart; Joseph E. Pipher, J. V. Hart (Hart & Pipher) ; L. T. Hat-
field; Victor L. Hatfield; C. C. Holl, S. S. Holl (Holl & Holl) ; O. G.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNl^Y 21!)

Hopkins; S. Luke Howe; W. S. Howe; W. B. Howard; Hume & Art;
J. R. Hughes, Hugh B. Bradford (Hughes & Bradford) ; J. M. Innum;
John B. Insh; H. E. Johnstone; J. ('harles Jones; P. H. Jolmson
(Johnson & Lemmon) ; John W. Johnston; Grove L. Johnson; C. T.
Jones; S. H. Jones; R. T. McKisick, W. E. Kleinsorge (Kleinsorge &
McKisick) ; W. A. Latta; T. B. Leeper; A. H. McCurdy; Meredith &
Landis; C. F. Metteer; W. T. Phipps; W. B. Pittman; R. Platnauer;
J. F. Pullen; J. 0. Prewett ; W. F. Renf ro ; A. B. Re^Tiolds ; A. M.
Seymour; Shelly, Hoag & Leeper; A. L. Shinn; C. Q. Shinn; C.
Simon; E. A. Sloss; Albert D. Smith; E. G. Soule; H. G. Soule; H. H.
Sydenham; C. E. Swezy; A. R. Tabor; C. W. Thomas, Jr.; J. C.
Thomas; M. S. Wahrhaftig; B. G. White; Clinton L. White, Artlinr E.
Miller, C. E. McLaughlin (White, Miller & McLaughlin) ; Arcliihald
Yell (Seymour & Yell); Martin I. Welch; Z. F. Wharton.

CHAPTER XXVII

MEIVIIBERS OF THE SACRAMENTO BAR

By Judge TV. A. Anderson

If we should eliminate from our history tlie lawyer and what he
lias done, we would rob it of the greater part of its glory. Remove
from our society today the lawyer, with the work tliat he does, and
you will leave that society as dry and shiftless as the sands that
sweep over Sahara. The lawyer is needed in the legislature, in con-
gress ; every business man needs him ; in fact he is a necessary adjunct
to every department of Iranian life. Sacramento City had its great
men in the past; great law>-ers, great public men, great politicians.
It makes very little difference whether a man's fame runs around the
earth, or only goes to the limits of his residence. The world soon
forgets even the most conspicuous fame. How many "immortals"
have been totally lost to the memory of man. Think of the great men
of the past of ancient Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Egypt, Judea, Greece,
Carthage, Rome, who were great in their day, and whose names have
not been written or spoken for two thousand years. It is the rare
and lucky man who arises from the flood of oblivion. The man who
seeks immortality strives against awful odds, but that is an instinct
in human nature which prom]its one to rebel against oblivion. In
the few references made in this review, it has been my endeavor to
rescue from oblivion some of the great geniuses who founded this
state.

While Newton Booth never engaged in the active practice of the
law, he was a member of the bar. He became governor of the state,
and United States senator. Milton S. Latham was governor and
United States senator. J. Neely Johnson was governor; T. B. Mc-
Farland was judge of the supreme court. Robert F. Morrison was

220 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

chief justice of the supreme court; H. 0. Beatty was judge of the
supreme court of Nevada. E. B. Crocker was supreme court justice,
and the founder of the Crocker Art Gallery, which was donated by
his widow to the city and is now one of the chief public attractions.
C. G. W. French was chief justice of the supreme court of Arizona.
Hiram W. Johnson removed his practice to San Francisco, and is now
governor of this state. Creed Haymond was code commissioner and
framed our present codes; also was state senator and afterward chief
counsel for the Southern Pacific Company, and died in San Francisco
many j^ears ago. He was one of the brilliant minds of the state.
W. H. Beatty is now chief justice of the supreme court of California.
W. C. Van Fleet is United States district judge at San Francisco.
Robert T. Devlin until recently was United States district attorney
and was at one time state senator from Sacramento. Cornelius Cole
was congressman and United States senator. C*ol. E. D. Baker was
United States senator from Oregon and was killed at Ball's Bluff
as brigadier-general during the Rebellion.

H. W. Halleck was during the Civil war the commander-in-chief
of the Union armies under President Lincoln.

Col. George W. Bowie, the law partner of A. P. Catlin, was,
during the Civil war, a brigadier-general of volunteers and served on
the border of Texas, Mexico and Arizona.

E. J. C. Kewen was one of the pioneer attorneys and an orator
of distinction. He was a southern man by birth, and had all the fire
and vim of that clime. Colonel Kewen was an intimate friend of
William Walker, who attempted to form a republic at Nicaragua and
was Walker's financial agent. He finally located at Los Angeles,
and died there, November 25, 1879.

J. C. Zabriskie was the first city attorney of this city. He arrived
in Sacramento in 1849 and later on was alcalde. In 1861 he removed
to San Francisco, where he died, July 10, 1883.

John T. Carey was district attorney of Sacramento county, and
was appointed United States district attorney by President Cleveland.
He is now practicing law in San Francisco.

E. H. Heacock is now a resident of San Francisco, and has been
for many years master in chancery of the United States courts.

S. W. Sanderson was judge of the supreme court and resigned
to accejit the position of cliief counsel for the Central Pacific Railway
Company.

Thomas J. Clunie was state senator and member of congress. He
removed to San Francisco and continued the practice of law until
the time of his death.

John K. Alexander was district attorney, and removed to Mon-
terey and was for many years superior judge of that county.

James C. Goods was district attorney for two terms, and was
considered one of the best criminal lawyers in the state.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 22]

Judge Henry Hare Hartley was oue of the leading lawyers of
the .state, and a man of tlie most polished manners.

George A. Blanchard, district attorney, afterwards superior judge
of Colusa county, died on the threshold of a useful life; he was one
of the bright minds of the profession, and a scholar and a courteous
gentleman.

Frank D. Ryan, a native son and twice district attorney, also
one of the lioard of commissioners of jniblic works, also assemblyman,
was one of Sacramento's finest products. No man held a higher ])lace
in the estimation of the public. H seemed like the cruelty of Fate
to take him from earth at such an early time in his life, as he had
but reached his prime when he died, in 1908.

S. Solon Holl, who died in July, 1913, was considered the dean
of the Sacramento bar. His life was full of great incidents.

Grove L. Johnson, assembhnnan, senator and member of congress,
is among the active practitioners at the bar of the state, and has lost
nothing of his vigor and persistence, and is as ready for a forensic
encounter as he was wont to be in his younger days. No man has a
higher standing at the bar than Hon. Grove L. Johnson. Mr. Johnson
can be considered the Nestor of the bar.

Clinton L. White can also be recorded as one of the old leaders
at the bar. Once our mayor, and a good one at that, he prides him-
self upon his devotion to the practice of the honorable profession.
His firm. White, Miller & McLanghlin, stands foremost among the
liractitioners in this state.

Gen. A. L. Hart, at one time attorney-general of the state, was
considered one of the best nisi pritis lawyers on the coast. His un-
timely death was a shock to the profession. No man held a higher
place in the hearts of the members of the bar and the public.

Judge Add C. Hinkson, who for many years was city superin-
tendent of schools, and superior judge, in 1912 answered the final roll
call and crossed over the Dark River.

Tod Robinson, H. 0. Beatty and J. B. Haggin were law i)artner8
in 1853, in this city. This partnership lasted about three years.
Judge Beatty went to Nevada and was elected chief justice of the
state. J. B. Haggin, one of the owners of the Haggin grant, resided
in New York. Tod Robinson located at San Francisco.

George Cadwalader. a ]Honeer and in early days a mercliant,
in 1855 entered the law office of Col. Philip L. Edwards as a student of
law. Mr. Cadwalader had a splendid practice and never sought any
political office, although he took active part in party politics on some
occasions. He also wrote some elegant verses. He removed to San
Francisco in 1884, and lived but about one year thereafter. The
supreme court reports contain the name of George Cadwalader in a
multitude of actions. Robert T. Devlin and Clinton L. White were
students under Mr. Cadwalader. During his student career, Clinton

222 HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY

L. White wrote one of the ablest briefs in the matter of the estate
of Tliurston, involving some of the most intricate questions of law.
The line of argument in the brief was adopted by the supreme court.
The writer, W. A. Anderson, was an associate of George Cadwalader
in the practice of the law for over thirteen years.

A. C. Freeman long enjoyed a national reputation as an author
of law books. His advent into the practice of law was as deputy
district attorney under James C. Goods. His first book was "A
Treatise on Judgments;" later, a work on "Executions." He was
the editor of the Bancroft- Whitney publications and editor of "Amer-
ican Decisions." The career of A. C. Freeman was a great success.
He located in San Francisco, and a few years ago crossed the "Great
Divide," full of honors.

J. N. Young practiced law in this city for many years and then
located in San Francisco, where he is now engaged in active jjractice.

Paschal H. Coggins commenced his career as an attorney at law
in this city, served one term as township justice, and then located in
Philadelphia, where he is now engaged in the practice of his profes-
sion.

D. A. Hamburger practiced in Sacramento for a few years after
his admission to the bar and then located in Los Angeles, where he
has abandoned the practice of the law and engaged in mercantile
business.

Frank Powers was admitted to the bar from the city of Sacra-
mento, but established his law practice later at San Francisco. He
was a member of the assembly from that city.

Charles T. Jones is still an active practitioner in this city. Twice
district attorney and once assemblyman, he has held an honored
position in this community. He has been on one side or the other
in most of the important criminal cases for many years and is looked
upon as one of the ablest criminal lawyers in the state.

Dan E. Alexander removed to San Francisco, where he is now
engaged in the practice of his profession. Charles H. Oatman is also
a practitioner in San Francisco. Elwood Bruner, ex-assemblyman and
ex-district attorney, is now located at Nome, Alaska, as is also his
brother, J. Allison Bruner.

W. B. Harlow practiced only a short time after his admission to
the bar, then went to Arizona and later to New York, where he died
a few years ago.

Judson C. Brusie was assembl>niian and secretary to the Califor-
nia railroad conmiission. He died a few years ago at Los Angeles.
He devoted his time chiefly to politics and dramatic writing.

Peter H. Burnett was a lawj^er, but never practiced in this city;
only acted as land agent for John A. Sutter. He was the first gov-
ernor of California. In 1857 he was appointed by Governor J. Neely

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 223

Jolinson a judge of the supreme court. He died in San Francisco,
May 17, 1895, at the age of eighty-seven years.

Judge S. C. Denson is now a resident of San Francisco. For
many years, in addition to his judicial career, he enjoyed a splendid
practice in this city. At various times a member of the firm of Beatty
& Denson, then Beatty, Denson & Beatty, and Beatty, Denson & Oat-
man, he always enjoyed a very lucrative business. It was during his
term as judge that the famous cases of Troy Dye and Edward Ander-
son for the murder of Aaron Tullis were tried and the two men con-
victed and hanged. Hon. Creed Ha^miond defended these men. When
Judge Denson removed to San Francisco, he formed a co-partnership
with Judge J. J. De Haven, which continvied until Judge De Haven
was appointed United States district judge.

Albert M. Johnson. — Nature is not lavisli with her choice gifts
of genius and talent, and rarely do we find these great attributes
combined. In Alliert M. Johnson both genius and talent were united
in one body, in one mind. His was an irrepressible genius, brighter
than the sword of the conqueror. His thoughts and ideas bore the
rays of immortality, which cast a living, lasting halo around his very
being. With him, genius was not a shadow — it was a substance, it
was light; it was matter that never dies. In all his legal existence
he seemed like a Theseus led by the golden thread of Ariadne. His
logic was like the touch of Ithuriel's spear, his reason like the swell
of the ocean. A master of language, which fiowed from his lips like
a splendid stream, again in torrents as moved by inspiration, at the
har and on the rostrum his flow of language was the most fluent and
logical. Its effect was magical, and carried inspiration with every
word and thought expressed. There is no armor against Fate. Albert
M. Johnson was never obsequious to wealth or power. The later years
of his life were devoted, in addition to his profession, to the solution
of social problems and to the betterment of the condition of the masses.
A truly great attorney, in his comparatively brief career he tasted
fortune more than did any other law^^er. He died in Oakland, in 1907,
at the age of forty-six years.

Judge A. P. Catlin was a pioneer lawyer, and had many parts
in the formation of the government for this state. In 1850 he and
John Currey (afterwards superior judge), formed a co-partnership in
the practice of the law. At that time the leaders of the bar were
Murray Johnson, E. J. C. Kewen, Col. J. C. Zabriskie, Joseph W.
Winans, L. Neely Johnson, John B. Weller, M. S. Latham, John H.
McKune, and Col. Philip L. Edwards. This partnership lasted only
a short time, and Mr. Catlin then returned to his former home at
Mormon island in this county, and engaged in mining. It was he who
was the author of the name "Natoma" for Natoma township in this
county. In 185.3-54 he was a member of the senate which met at
Benicia, and it was due to his efforts that Sacramento secured the

224 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

location of the State Capitol and was made the permanent seat of
state government. Judge Catlin was an eye witness to the great
tragedy of the Squatter riots on August 14, 1850, at which City
Assessor Woodland was killed, Mayor Biglow fatally wounded and
many others killed. Judge Catlin took part in every great political
battle of this state. In 1857 he was a member of the assembly and
a participant in the great Broderick-Gwin senatorial contest. In
March, 1872, he was appointed one of the state board of equalization.
During all the years he was engaged in active practice. In 1890 he
was elected judge of the superior court of the cotinty of Sacramento,
and served a full six-year term. He was a man of sound judgment
and untiring industry, one of the safest counsellors and faithful to
his clients; very slow to anger, but a lion when aroused. While he
seemed morose in his disposition, there was at times a vein of gen-
uine humor in his composition. No man had a greater knowledge of
the incidents of history of this state, and his "scrap books," if they
are still in existence, would be a revelation to the future historian.

John C. Catlin and Harry Catlin, the sons of Judge Catlin, were
admitted to tlie bar and are now residents of San Francisco, engaged
in the practice of the law.

J. W. Winans (firm Winans & Hyer) was for many years a
prominent attorney in this city. He was a member of the consti-
tutional convention. Mr. Winans devoted much time to literature, and
was an elegant writer. For many years he was a regent of the state
university. In 1861 he took up his practice in San Francisco and
continued until his death, March 3, 1887.

W. B. C. Brown, after having served as county clerk and state
controller, became a member of the bar and continued in the practice
of the law until his death, April 12, 1882.

W. S. Church was city attorney for one term, then went to San
Francisco. He is the author of "Church on Habeas Corpus," and
some other law works.

James B. Devine, a bright young lawyer, was called to his final
rest, just at the time the people began to recognize his abilities.

Judge J. W. Armstrong came to Sacramento from Amador
county in 1868. He was formerly the law partner of the late United
States Senator James T. Farley, of Amador county. He established
the law firm of Armstrong & Hinkson. Judge Armstrong was ap-
pointed judge of the superior coui-t of Sacramento county by Governor
Stoneman. At the succeeding election he was chosen for a full term
on the bench. Judge Armstrong was a man of great force of char-
acter, and soniewliat aggressive in his disposition, yet broad-minded,
tender-hearted aiid generous. He died March 21, 1896.

Judge Lewis Ramage was district jiidge of the old sixth judicial
district. It was during his term that the famous Tip McLaughlin case
was tried, McLaughlin being charged with the murder of Charles

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 225

Limdholm. At the first trial the jury disagreed, and "Tip" was
tried a second time, at which trial he was convicted of murder. By
some unaccountal)le oversight no order was made by the court to take
the defendant into custody, he being- at liberty under bonds. "Tip"
walked out of the court and never was captured. Judge Ramage
was a very kind-hearted man, and had a great reverence for the
decisions of the court of his native state, Missouri. It was often
remarked by attorneys, that if counsel could produce a decision from
Missouri, or something from "Smith's Leading Cases," his case would
be safe. Judge Ramage, after his term as district judge was com-
]ileted, returned to St. Louis, where he died a number of years ago.

John B. Weller, a pioneer lawyer, was governor and United States
senator. Governor Weller was a very eloquent orator and a man of
pleasing and polished manner.

Judge Robert C. Clark was state senator and afterwards county
and superior judge for twenty-four years, up to the time of his death,
January 27, 1883. Judge Clark was a model judge, and everybody
was his friend. No man held a higher place in the hearts of the
peo])le than Judge Clark. The pleasing incidents and anecdotes dur-
ing his career on the bench would fill a large volume.

D. Lee Donelly was corporation counsel under Mayor Hassett,
and at one time law partner of A. M. Se^^nour. He died about 1911
after a lingering sickness.

John Currey was one of the earliest pioneer lawyers of this cit}^
At one time the law partner of A. P. Catlin, Judge Currey performed
a prominent part in the history of this state. He was for many years
judge of the supreme court, and chief justice of that court. Judge
Currey was born in 1814, and died in 1912, at ninety-eight years of
age. He always was a man of great intellectual powers, and even in
his last years retained his remarkable memory and wrote some able
articles for the law journals upon great legal topics.

Judge E. W. McKinstry was in the law practice in this city in
1850. He was one of the first representatives in the legislature from
Sacramento county. In 1858 he went to Napa and was elected district
judge for Napa and adjoining counties. He then removed to San
Francisco and was elected county judge. Later he was chosen district
judge for the twelfth judicial district of San Francisco. Afterwards
he was elected justice of the supreme court of California. He resigned
from the supreme bench to become professor of municipal law in
the Hastings Law College. Judge McKinstry died at San Jose.
November 1, 1901.

Cornelius Cole was district attorney for Sacramento county, after-
wards congressman, and in 1865-66 was elected by the legislature
to the United States senate. At the close of his senatorial term he
located at Los Angeles, where he now resides, hale and hearty, though
advanced in vears.

226 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Morris M. Estee was a member of the legislature from Sacra-
mento in the session of 1863-64, and in 1864 was elected district attor-
ney of Sacramento county. At the expiration of his term of office
he located in San Francisco in the pursuit of his profession and was
retained in many very important cases. Mr. Estee was a leading
member of the last constitutional convention which framed the present
state constitution. Mr. Estee was at all times a dignified and sincere
man. Under the annexation of tlie Hawaiian Islands, creating a
United States district judge for that jurisdiction, in 1900 he was
appointed to the office, which he held until his death, October 27, 1903.

Judge T. B. McFarland, prioi to locating at Sacramento, was dis-
trict judge of the fourteenth judicial district, comprising Nevada and
Placer counties. At the expiration of his term as judge he came to
Sacramento and formed a copartnership with Judge A. P. Catlin,
under the firm name of Catlin and McFarland. He was registrar of
the United States land office, and in 1882 was appointed by Governor
Perkins superior judge of this county. Prior to that he was also a
member of the last cou.stitutional convention. In 1884 Judge Mc-
Farland was elected superior judge for Sacramento county; in 1886
was elected justice of the supreme court, re-elected in 1898, and re-
mained on the supreme bench until the time of his death, a few years
ago. Judge McFarland was a man of fine literary attainments and
of most fascinating social qualities. To know him was ever after to
be his friend.

RECOLLECTIONS OF HENRY EDGERTON

Look in upon the state burial plot in the City Cemetery and
amid the lofty marble and granite shafts that mark the last resting
places of distinguished men, there will be found a poor little slab with
the inscription:

Henry E]dgerton

Died
November 4, 1887

The name of that brilliant orator, profound lawyer, classic scholar,
is now only a memory for the few. During life he thrilled audiences,
electrified senators, judges and conventions by the splendor of his
rhetoric, philosophy and the vividness of his imagery. As an eagle,
then he swooped, — then he soared, — the sculptor and painter in words,
— the ideal of logical realism.

Like

"The two-edged tongue of mighty Zeno, who.
Say what we would, could argue it untrue,"
he liad the prose of Xenophon and the poetry and philosophy of Plato.
His font of oratorical genius never ran low. He fused reason, music,
passion, imagination, into electric and magnetic power which held his
auditors as if chained bv enchantment.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 227

When Edgertou became aroused in debate and the occasion called
for it, he was a perfect master of invective, sarcasm and irony.
"Fierce as the midnight, moonlit
Nubian desert with all its lions up."

Yet he was possessed of the gentle impulses of a woman, court-
eous, chivalrous and with wit as sparkling as ice and as brilliant as
the sunshine. Henry Edgerton had the egotism of most men of
genius, and believed it was a great folly to be wise all alone. His
utter contempt for wealth was proverbial. Yet with all his great
genius and ability, with all his generous impulses and good will for
his fellow men, he learned, with Prentice, "that men are deserters
in adversity, when all is dark and even our very shadows refuse to
follow us." While his eloquence charmed the soul, he felt that Ambi-
tion was a gilded cheat, — that Fate was capricious.
"Ah, pensive Scholar, what is fame!
A fitful tongue of leaping flame,

A giddy whirlwind's fickle giist
That lifts a pinch of mortal dust."

With all his great genius and wonderful powers of oratory, Edger-
ton, like that other almost forgotten orator and statesman, James W.
Cotfroth, could never attain the goal of his ambition, — a seat in the
halls of congress.

The great Napoleon's star of destiny began to decline from the
day he divorced the Empress Josephine, and finally set with the sun
at Waterloo. Thus with Henry Edgerton, when the marital relations
ceased between himself and the brilliant Frances Edgerton, his star
of destiny waned and finally cast its pale light upon his almost for-
gotten grave.

Withal the public career of Henry Edgerton forms a potent part
of the history of this state. He came to California from Vermont in
1853, a young man, and located at Napa, where he was for a number
of years, up to 1860, the district attorney of that county. The famous
case of Ned McGowan, implicated in the murder of James King of
William, editor of the San Francisco Bulletw, during the time of the
vigilance committee, was transferred to Napa coimty, and prosecuted
liy Henry Edgerton. In 1860 he was elected state senator for Napa,
Solano and Yolo counties, and during the sessions occurred the mem-
orable deliate with Harry I. Thornton, which placed Edgerton as the
leader in oratory in this state. It was by such prompt, eloquent and
patriotic actions of Edgerton and several other prominent men that
a terrible chapter in California's history was averted, and this state
retained in the array of Union states during the Rebellion.

From this time Henry Edgertou held his place as the greatest
orator on this coast. He was a man of sjilendid ]ihysique, with a
bright, classic countenance, and one who at all times inspired admira-
tion. In the earlier davs of his career he was noted for the old

228 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

school style of bis costume. For many years be wore a blue broad-
clotb dress coat, with doulile row of brass buttons, and a buff vest,
making a marked contrast with other men's dress. But he prided
himself on these and would wear none other until the later years of
his life. In 1861 Edgerton and McKibben ran for congress on the
Union Democratic ticket, but were defeated by Timothy Guy Phelps
and A. A. Sargent. For a number of years Edgerton was one of the
trustees of the state library. In 1878-79 he was elected a member
at large of the constitutional convention, and the debates disclose
many gems of his power of oratory. One of Edgerton 's most beauti-
ful oratorical efforts occurred in 1879, upon the grand reception given
to Gen. U. S. Grant, who ^dsited this city upon his journey around the
world. In 1880 he was the only Republican presidential elector elected,
and he was selected as messenger to proceed to Washington to cast
the vote for president. At the presidential election in 1884 he was
again elected a presidential elector.

In 1882 Henry Edgerton and W. W. Morrow were Republican
candidates for congressman-at-large, but they were defeated by Charles
Sumner and J. R. Glasscock. During the congressional convention
of the second district at Benicia in 1884, Edgerton was evidently
deeply wounded at not receiving the nomination for congress. His
speech on that occasion was one of the most powerful efforts of his
life, and his picture of the ingratitude of his party was realized by
all the delegates present. It was at this convention that Hon. Joseph
McKenna received, on the thirtieth ballot, the nomination which gave
him his start upon the car of political fortune. Edgerton never recov-
ered from this defeat, and he felt that the party was ungrateful in
not recognizing him.

The oration delivered by Edgerton July 4, 1882, is a masterpiece
of patriotic oratory and is a model for young Americans. Such
oratory is not like that which is called oratory today, and which is
a mere empty flow of words. It is like the violet wreath compared
with the bunch of straw.

On the occasion of the nomination of Newton Booth for governor
in 1871, Henry Edgerton made one of his brilliant, characteristic ad-
dresses in placing Newton Booth in nomination. In 1873, during an
exciting anti-railroad contest, he was elected state senator for Sacra-
mento county. During the camijaign he made some of the most elo-
quent as well as invective speeches. On one occasion, while referring
to one of his detractors, he used this unique and most forcible lan-
guage: "He lies by day, he lies by night; he lies for the very lust
of lying."

In nearly every Republican campaig-n from 1868 until date of his
death Edgerton took part, and his eloquence was heard in every
important city on the coast. In no place in public or private did he
know how to be dull.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 229

It is known that Henry Edgerton was methodical in his nature,
and kept a complete set of scrap books and records, but after his death
no one was able to discover where they were placed. It would be a
,<>reat addition to the oratorical history of the world if these records
could be found, and placed in the hands of some competent compiler
for ]ireservatiou to the literature of the world. Throughout life he
kept up his classical studies, and was a devotee of the drama and of
all kinds of art. As a conversationalist he was without a suiDerior.
A volume might be written of anecdotes of Edgerton. On one oc-
casion, during the session of 1861, while he was the lion of the day,
the legislature was compelled to move to San Francisco on account
of the flood. At that time the sensational drama, "The Octoroon,"
was being played and drew large houses. Edgerton, with a number
of the other senators, attended the play and showed his warm, im-
l)ulsive and chivalrous character, during the famous scene where Zoe,
the Octoroon, is put upon the slave block for sale. Dora Sunnysides
had such a warm affection that she desired to purchase Zoe to set
her free. The bidding began, when McCloskey, the villain of the play,
and Dora were bidding against each other. She reached her limit
when she bid $20,000. McCloskey, in his sneering manner, bid $25,000,
and looked upon Dora with a victorious smile. At this point the au-
dience was in a state of terrible excitement, when all at once some
one in the audience arose, threw his hat high in the air, and said :
"Damn the law! I bid $30,000." That was Henry Edgerton, and it
is needless to say that the entire audience was in uproarious ap-
plause for the last bidder.

When we think of the eventful life of Henry Edgerton, we are
constrained to the truth that it is best that Heaven from all creatures
hides the Book of Fate.

Edgerton was a devotee of poetry and art as well as a student
of the classics. In fact his very utterances were poetry. The follow-
ing lines, quaint in their character and an echo of his sentimental
moods, are attributed to him :

"The old days. Do you ever think of them
When sitting silent as the shadows meet?
When lying 1)road awake at dead of night.
To hear the rain that drops into the eaves ;
Do you remember how sweet was yoTir sleep.
In the old days?

"The old days, when you wanted to grow big,
Before you knew the sorrows it would bring;
When looking at the blue hills far away
And thinkino- of the world that lav bevond?

230 HISTORY OP^ SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Do yoii lemember liow you yearned for it,
In the days of old?

"The old days, they are furrowed o'er with graves,
The sweet-faced mother, tirst and dearest friend.
The old home faces you used to know,
Your playmates and your sweethearts, where are they?
Do you remember how you loved and lost,
In the days of old!

"The old days! How they brim the eyes with tears
And fill the heart with longing and regret!
Oh, there are tragedies in every life;
And there are songs as sweet as ever sung;
And there are memories that never die.
In the old days."

N. GREENE CURTIS

Tribute by Major W. J. Anderson, at the time of his death, July 12,
1897.

When Cato, the younger, sat with his drawn sword meditating
upon Plato's "Immortality of the Soul," he exclaimed: "Plato, thou
reasonest well. Why this longing for immortality?"

Each day, every hour, each minute, we are admonished of the un-
certainty of all earthly things.

"Eternity — thou pleasing, dreadful thought —
Through what vagaries of untried being, through wiiat new scenes and
changes must we pass?"

"The glories of birth and state are sliadows, not substantial
things. There is no armor against fate."

Death lays his icy hand on. the high and low alike. The highest
and lowest, richest and poorest, must yield to the inexorable laws of
Nature and of Fate. We are today but reminded of the end of all
that is mortal of man, and in paying this tribute to tlie memory of
our dei)arted brother, bring ourselves within the reflections of Cato
upon the immortality of the soul, and the ]jroofs of nature and na-
ture's laws that the soul of N. Greene Curtis has its enduring im-
mortality amid the Elysian fields, where he has gone to meet former
colleagues and adversaries of mant" forensic battles : George R.
Moore, H. H. Hartley, Phil Edwards, James ^Y. Coffroth, J. C.
Goods, Creed Havmond, Henrv Edgerton. George Cadwalader. R.
C. Clark. H. 0. Beatty, J. W. Winans, John G. Hyer, Milton S.
Latham, Col. L. Sanders, Tod Robinson, E. B. Crocker, Himiphrey
GriCiiths, J. W. Armstrong, W. I. Ferguson, Presley Dunlap, George
A. Blnnchard, and others.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 231

N. Greene Curtis was born in Raleig-b, N. C, February 5, 1826.
In May, 1850, he came with the tide of gold-seekers to California from
Tennessee, to which state he moved in his early youth. By birth
and education he was fitted even in those youthful days to take his
place among the moving spirits of the country. Soon after his ar-
rival in Sacramento he was appointed deputy postmaster under Jona-
than Tittle, the presidential appointee. A short time after he as-
sumed his office his principal went east, leaving Curtis in full charge.
AVhile Tittle was absent, Richard Eads came out with a notification
from Washington that he had been appointed to the office. Curtis
declined to recog-nize Eads until he presented a commission and filed
a bond. He thus retained possession of the office for some months, it
taking about that time to procure the necessary credentials.

As a recognition of Curtis' ability, Eads retained him as the chief
officer until he was elected recorder in 1853. This office Judge Curtis
administered for three years with marked ability, establishing a record
which has become a precedent. In 1861, when the spirit of secession
was rife and at a time when Cahfornia was in the balance, being
largely populated by southern men, Judge Curtis, though of southern
blood, was firmest in counseling for the Union. At a great mass
meeting held in the old pavilion at Sixth and M streets, he made
one of the grandest, most patriotic speeches against secession and
for the Union, one and indivisible. He became a member of the Union
Party and that year, with Charles Crocker, Amos Adams and Dr.
Joseph Powell, was elected as a member of the assembly. Charles
Crocker, one of the great Central Pacific railroad quartet, crossed
the Dark River several years ago. Amos Adams recently died in
San Jose. Dr. Powell survived the term only a few years. During
the same session Judge R. C. Clark and E. II. Heacock served as
senators from this county. In 1861 Judge Curtis became a member
of the state senate with E. H. Heacock as his colleague. In 1869
Curtis and A. Comte served as our senators. In 1877 Judge Curtis
was again returned to the senate, having defeated Felix Tracy. His
colleague was Creed Haymond. He was a leader in his party and
counselled upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of the Demo-
cratic party of this state as well as the nation. He was at all times
modest, unassuming, unostentatious, yet possessing the rarest quali-
ties of conversational powers. As an orator he was magnetic, and
by his earnestness and force of character never failed to impress his
hearers with his own ideas and convictions. Herein laid his great
power and influence over jurors. The devoted friendship of Curtis
was jiroverbial. I have often heard my father say that it was a com-
mon, every-day sight to see Judge McKime and Greene Curtis frying
their bacon and boiling their coffee in front of their cabin, which was
situated at what is now the corner of Fifth and K streets. The cabin
was Iniilt among scrub oaks and bushes, and ser^■ed as the law o^'fice

232 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

of Judge McKune, Curtis uot being a praL-titioner at that time.
Curtis was endowed with the qualities of true friendship,
"Which is a Gordiau knot that angel hands had tied.
By heavenly skill its texture wrought, who shall its folds divide?
Death's all-triumphant sword may strive its links to sever,
But the union of its twisted cord in Heaven shall last forever."
Curtis belonged to the "old school" of chivalrous attorneys.
While there has been advancement in all matters of science and art,
there remains a charm around the courteous chivalry of the lawyer
of two generations ago. It seems that a grasping selfishness has
im]ilanted itself among modern members of the bar. That old-time
honor of the profession, when the greed for gold formed no part in
the lawyer's strife for honor and fame, has in a measure departed.
The lawyers of twenty-five years ago held honor above gold or price.
Today gold seems to be the moving power and glory, and honor but
an incident. Those were the days that the lawyer's part was to work
hard, live well and die poor. But honor was always the objective
point.

Judge Curtis was counsel in the famous Laura D. Fair case for
the murder of A. P. Crittenden, and finally acquitted her. He was
counsel for many defendants in murder cases in this state. Many
years ago the writer was present at Santa Cruz during an important
murder trial, where the defendant was represented by N. Greene
Curtis. We think that the management of this case was the mas-
terpiece of his life, and far surpasses his efforts in the famous Laura
D. Fair trial. The defendant was a young man with a beautiful ^\'ife
and child. The evidence against the defendant was of the most dam-
aging character, and it seemed that a conviction was inevitable. The
sentiment of the community was set against the defendant. But
Curtis had a way of snatching victory from defeat, and the result of
the trial disclosed the fact that he did so in this case. For weeks
before the trial he made research into the pedigree of each juror
summoned, until he had each man's history at his memory's com
mand. Then came the day of the trial and the defense marked out
was an alibi. The courtroom was each day crowded with ladies and
gentlemen. Curtis seemed to be inspired. He opened the case with
a degree of magnetism seldom witnessed. He ])aid a grand tribute
to the people, to the beautiful sea crest and beach, and to every-
thing pertaining to the community. He painted the crime as black
as Erebus, and was unsparing of anyone who would perpetrate such
an outrage and cowardly assassination. Then came his inspired ar-
gument to the jury. He touched the weak place in the composition
of every juror, and art)und and around he went, addressing each
jui'or separately. But he foimd that every time he came to a cer-
tain old puritanical fellow there was a break in his magnetic chain.
He tried again and again to cast the electric charm over the old

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 233

liard-sliell, for lie felt certain of the other jurors. Just at this
juncture a little tot got dowu from his mother's lap, and, being at-
tracted by Curtis' actions in speaking to the jury, ran up to him,
clasped one little arm al)out his knee, and with the other held up a
piece of candy some person had given him, for him to take. Curtis
stopped short, looked for an instant at tlie child, then at the audi-
ence, then at the jury, but never spoke a word. The effect was elec-
tric. There was not a dry eye in the courtroom ; the women gave out
uncontrollable sobs. That silent eloquence was grand — indescribablv
grand. Then he drew his own picture, and asked the jurors if they
were fathers, and could find it in their hearts to make that child an
orphan. With all this the old hard-shell remained obdurate, and
as unmoved as the hills. At length Curtis roused himself for one
more effort and with tears and emotion actually knelt down and
prayed long and fervently at the feet of the obdurate juror, when all
at once tears came trickling down his cheeks, and he, too, was en-
tangled in the electric chain. After the case was over, and the
young man acquitted, Curtis said to the writer: "Do you know that
it was a hard struggle to capture that puritanical old ass? Why,
I was actually comi)elled to pray, and ordinarily it would have been
ridiculous." And, said the Judge: "When I got him I thought of
an event in the life of the elder Booth, who had no equal in his per-
sonation of Richard III. Well, Mr. Booth was to play his favorite
character at Manchester, England, which was a great place for manu-
facturing buttons. On the opening night the house was crowded,
and Booth just let himself loose, but not a sig-n of applause fol-
lowed his efforts. The audience was as silent as a tomb. He tried
again and again, still no emotion or recognition. Driven to despair,
he made a most superhuman effort, and at this time caught the
entire audience at once. The applause was loud and continued. After
the tumult. Booth, in his eccentric way, stepped to the footlights
and said: 'What do you think of that, you damned button-makers?'
Then he left the stage and would not finish the play. Now," contin-
ued Curtis, "I felt like Booth in that act, and wanted to say, out
loud, after my fervent ]irayer: 'What do you think of that, you d — d
old hard-shell.' "

JAMES W. COFFEOTH

Only a few now remain who can recall the memories of that
eminent man whose magnetic powers stirred the hearts of the people,
whose magic eloquence so often resounded at the bar, in the forum,
and from the public platform. While the lips of James W. Coffroth
have been silenced and his body in the silent chambers of the dead for
thirty-six years, there are many "oldtimers" whose memories re-
vert to the past, and recall that he was one of the leading spirits of
this state and one who aided in making its early history. No lawyer

234 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ever exercised greater influence over a jury. His splendid stature,
clear and musical voice, and magnetic expression never failed to
enter the heart of those whom he addressed. His was a most lov-
able nature, generous and courteous to all, yet a lion when aroused.
His style of eloquence was different from that of the contemporane-
ous lawyers, and he easily stood the peer of any, although there
were orators and statesmen: Col. E. D. Baker, Henry Edgerton,
W. Li. L. Barnes, N. Greene Curtis, Jo Hamilton, Creed Haymond,
W. W. Pendergast, James Groods, and a number of other eloquent
orators and attorneys with whom he was confronted in litigation.
(And, by the way, how rarely do we hear any of those illustrious
names mentioned in this generation.)

"Jim" Coffroth, as he was called, was extremely popular when
lie came to Sacramento, as the senator from "Old Tuolumne," then
one of the leading counties in the state. He was paraded around
the city in a carriage drawn by six white horses, and with ban-
ners, "Hail Tuolumne's Favorite Son." The American party was
then in power in California. He could have been the candidate for
governor, which was equivalent to an election that year, but gener-
ously gave way to J. Neely Johnson, who was elected. For many
years thereafter "Jim" Coffroth was known as "Tuolumne's Favor-
ite Son."

Every young attorney, including myself, reverenced "Jim"
Coffroth for his generous treatment and assistance. Coffroth was
very fond of humorous episodes, and was a natural wit, as well as
a jiractical joker, usually shying his wit and satire against other
members of the profession. On one occasion he perpetrated a cruel
joke on Hon. James T. Farley, who had been chosen speaker of the
assembly. At the close of the session it was the ciistom for the
speaker to deliver a farewell address. Farley asked Coffroth to
give him some pointers for the address. Coffroth assented, and the
next day handed a copy of an address delivered by a former speaker.
Farley took it in good faith, never dreaming of any dece]5tion, and
delivered it verbatim. Next day the Sacramento Union contained a
very sarcastic reference to the similarity of the closing address with
that of the former speaker of the house. For a long time, Farley,
who was later elected United States senator, had an ax in store for
Coffroth for the imposition.

As I have already said, Mr. Coffroth was a very kind friend
of mine, and he had occasion to disclose that friendship in tlie trial
of the first important criminal case that I was retained to defend.
Just about this time a SATidicate of cattle dealers resolved to make
vigorous prosecutions in all cases of cattle stealing. It seems that
the dealers had lost quite a number of cattle from their droves,
which were slaughtered and sold by small Imtchers in the several
counties adjoining Sacramento, and including Sacramento cmmty.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 235

For this purpose Hou. N. Greene Courtis was retained as special
counsel for the prosecutions. The first person to be apprehended
and charged with this offense was Henr)^ Lapley, a well-to-do butcher
of Folsom. Lapley was well known and bore a good reputation,
and the accusation was a surprise to his friends. Anyway the offi-
cers discovered the hide of a bovine in his slaughter-house which
bore the brand of an old Irish woman by the name of Mary Benin,
whom I had known from my early infancy, she being our nearest
neighbor when I was a very small boy. The circumstances were
very strong against the defendant. Upon his arrest Lapley sent
for me to defend him. I told him it was a dangerous case and that
I was only a young practitioner, and older and more experienced
counsel should be retained. Having been his counsel in other mat-
ters, Lapley insisted that he could trust and depend upon me. Well,
the case was called for trial, and when Hon. Robert Clark, then
judge, saw that I was alone in the case, and he being personally
friendly to Henry Lapley, called me to the bench and whispered to
me that it was somewhat risky for me to undertake such a case.
Just then, "Jim" Coffroth came into the courtroom, and, noting
the situation, called me aside and told me to go right along and he
would find means to prompt me in the details. This he also com-
municated to Judge Clark. Coffrotli had a double motive in this
support, one to aid me, as a young attorney, the other to get the best
of N. Greene Curtis, who was a rival in the criminal practice.
"Now," says Coffroth to me, "you make all manner of objections
to Curtis' questions to witnesses, no matter whether there is any
merit or not, and at each objection arise and argue some points of
your defense — do this until you get all your salient points before
the jury." I followed instructions, and although Judge Curtis in-
sisted upon his olijections, Judge Clark permitted my line of action.
Then Mr. Coffroth again prompted me to manage by some in-
direct question to arouse the ire of the prosecuting witness, whom
I have said was a quaint old Irish woman. This, in order to get her
to say something to divert the attention of the jury from the main
facts and create some humor. In this I succeeded admirably and
she answered the very first question I asked her, "It's the loikes
of a spal]ieen like yez, to ask me name, when I nursed ye as a baby,
gwan wid ye." Her cross-examination was a repetition of sharp
retorts, which edified the jury and served our purpose to the letter.
The trial was finally closed, and still Mr. Coffroth sat beside me.
The district attorney made the opening argument, leaving Judge
Curtis to flay me alive in the closing argument. xVfter the district
attorney concluded, Mr. Coffroth whispered to me, "Now submit
your case; rememl)er, you made your argument on objections during
the trial." At this I announced that I had no ar-;unient to make
and submitted the case.

236 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO OOTINTY

Judge Curtis arose to address tlie jury, but was stopped by
Judge Clark, who remarked, "There is nothing to reply to. Judge
Curtis; Mr. Anderson has submitted the case without formal argu
ment." Judge Curtis was furious, and turned to Coffroth, sajdng,
"Jim CoflProth, this is one of your sharp tricks." The jury, in
about five minutes, returned a verdict of not guilty, and I, through
the kindly offices of James AV. Coffroth, secured my first grent vic-
tory in the criminal practice.

The life of James W. Coffroth was full of such noble and gen-
erous acts towards young attorneys. He was a most accomplished
and skilled criminal lawyer, and defended more murder cases on
the coast to a successful termination, than any other attorney in
the state. He was also of a poetic nature and often in his leisure
liours would let his poetic fancy take shape.

About a year prior to the death of James AV. Coifroth, he was
retained by the wealthy relatives of a man accused of stage rob-
bery at Ukiah, Mendocino county. The retainer was $1000, and an
additional five hundred on acquittal. After a protracted trial he
succeeded in obtaining a verdict of not guilty. Upon the discharge
of the defendant, CoiTroth was paid the remainder of his fee and that
same evening started for home in a buggy, accompanied by a driver.
AVhen they had proceeded a few miles, and at a lonely point, they
were halted by a highwayman, who demanded their money. "Jim"
did not like the idea of giving up his fee, and said t9 the rol)ber,
"AVhy, my man, all the inoney I have is what I received from clear-
ing one of your kind." AVith that the robber took down his mask
and said, "Hello, Jim. is that you? It is dark and I did not know
you. H — 1, I don't want your money, I was waiting for another
party." It was the same man he had just acquitted, and he told
"Jim" to drive on quick as he expected the other party soon.

The life of James AV. Coffroth was one of eventful incidents,
which, recounted, would make a volume. He had an ambition to sit
in the halls of congress ; but, like another great man and orator,
Henry Edgerton, Pate was against him, and with all his ability and
popularity he could never reach the goal.

JOHN H. MC KUNE

"Kings have their dynasties, but not the mind;
Cffisars leave other Caesars to succeed;
But wisdom dying, leaves no heir behind."
Men, nations, emj^ires, pass like shadows of night that vanish
with the dawn, scarce missed as through all ages the world goes rolling
on. It was, indeed a wise man who admonished us to work as if
we were to live forever, and to live as if we were to die tomorrow.
Seneca said: "The sliortness of life is the coiiii)laint of botli fools
and philosophers."

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 237

Judge John H. McKuue was one of the potent factors in con-
structing the hiws and ethics of the Golden State — a part of the
history of this state, and without whom the chronicles of California
would be incomplete. Yes, we can pay respect in memory to him to
whom we can show no other gratitude. Judge McKune was a phil-
osopher, and a firm believer in the immortality of the soul. He
believed that no man was ever truly great unless he had rendered
some service to his fellowman — something more than individual
selfishness. AVhile life may be little less than an inconstant dream,
it devolves on the true man to do some good on earth. His life
was- one of constant labor and activity — ever doing something for
his fellowmen. The world soon forgets the honor and fame of her
truly great men. There are no Plutarchs, Homers or Virgils in
these days, to record their deeds and sing their praise. Thus the
memory of myriads of great men has been lost. A lawyer may
liave a brilliant career, may be heralded for his eloquence and his
learning; may have acquired great wealth (although the attributes
of a great lawyer is one who works hard, lives well, and dies poor),
hut when he passes to the dark unknown, there is an end of him —
he lias done nothing to make his fame remembered beyond a few days.

"What is Fame? A fancied life in others' breath,
A thing beyond us, e'en before our death."
Judge McKune belonged to the old school of chivalrous attor-
neys ; a race rapidly becoming extinct. The days of chivalrous law-
yers, those who placed honor above all price, who bent their ener-
gies for the honor and glory of the profession, instead of the o'er-
leaping struggle for the demon gold, are but a memory.
'Twas Anacreon who said:

"The light of gold can ne'er illume
The gloomy midnight of the tomb."

(A little digression from my thesis will not be out of place to
rap the modern lawyers.)

The honored profession of the law is so rapidly merging into
a plain, selfish commercialism, a matter of business, and the great
majority of the profession seek only the glittering sheen of gold.
Thus the dignity and independence of the learned and honorable
lawyer is sunk in the business and commercialism of the wealthy
litigants, and it is only on rare occasions that the truly great lawyer
leaps o'er the golden chasm and stands for the nobility of the pro-
fession. The wealthy seek only such lawyers as will serve them —
the question of honor or honesty is not considered. "My attorney
irmst serve me — it is a matter of business; no sentiment of right
enters this contract," says the powerful corporation. The honor-
able code of legal ethics is abjured, and the able lawyers are drawn

•238 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

into the vortex of the vast coninierical and corporation interests of
the nation, whether right or wrong — there is no sentiment allowed.

May the time be again at hand when the old-time chivalry of
the bar shall be restored, and the examples of such men as John H.
McKune emulated. Then we would have more independent lawyers
— more independent and learned judges. Let all attorneys bear in
mind that the rich can only decay on the shrine of gold. Judge
McKune was not an orator, but was endowed with a clear, logical
mind, and could impress his auditors by his force and earnestness.
No detail of the facts or the law was too minute for his study and
analysis. In addition to his mental superiority, he was possessed
of a great physical courage — always cool, deliberate, and calculating
amid the greatest danger. Personal fear was not an ingTedient of
Judge McKune 's com]iosition. Though of slight stature, he feared
no man.

In 1852, on account of his positive and independent nature, he
incurred the enmity and hatred of certain elements of this com-
munity, and one man, George Wilson by name, stabbed Judge Mc-
Kune through the lungs with the blade of a sword cane. At the time
the wound was deemed fatal and while the judge could have slain
his assailant he spared him on account of his wife and family. Many
instances of his personal courage could be recounted, and of events
of the early and troublous times in the early '50s, and even later.

When Judge McKune first came to Sacramento in 1850 he
erected a little cabin on the southwest corner of Fifth and K streets,
which constituted his office and residence, and where he boiled his
coffee and fried his bacon in a primitive manner outside, there being
no room in the interior for his culinary offices. For a number of
mouths he and N. Greene Curtis, another noted man, occupied this
one-room castle jointly for an office and residence.

At the permanent organization of the city of Sacramento in
1850, Judge McKune was elected the first city and county attorney.
It was during some of his vigorous prosecutions that he incurred
the bitter enmities and animosities that often engendered personal
encounters, the great majorities, however, were always mth him. He
was always the friend of the early settler and opposed the whole-
sale encroachments of fraudulent Mexican land grants, which cursed
the country. His firm attitude in this matter prompted the presi-
dent of the United States, Franklin Pierce, in 1854, to appoint him
United States land commissioner, to investigate all the Mexican
land claims. During his incumbency as land commissioner he made
some valuable suggestions to the Washington authorities which were
never heeded and which resulted in some fraudulent land grants
being imposed upon the early settlers and pre-emption claimants.

About 1855 Judge McKune formed a copartnership in the prac-
tice of law witli F. B. Crocker, later of Central Pacific railroad fame.

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 239

in connection with Cliarles Crocker, Leland Stanford, Mark Hop-
kins and C. P. Ilnntington. In 1857 Judge McKune was a member
of the state legiskiture, with Hon. A. P. Catlin and Hon. R. C.
Clark in the senate.

He was, in 1858, elected district judge for the sixth judicial
district, comprising Sacramento and Yolo counties, which office he held
until December, 1869. During the latter part of his judicial term he
incurred the enmity of the management of the Central Pacific Rail-
road Company, who defeated him for renomination. Grovernor New-
ton Booth in 1871 appointed Judge McKune one of the code com-
missioners, to revise and codify the laws of this state. The other
members of the commission were Hon. Creed Haymond and Hon.
John C. Burch. The work of the commissioners bears the mark of
Judge McKune 's legal ability and genius, and will remain a monu-
ment to his superior legal attainments.

Judge McKune was not only learned in what lawyers call "black-
letter law," but his literary tastes were of the highest order. He
admired Rabelais for his splendid philosophy, and Rousseau for
the reason that the critics were always against him and the masses
with him. Macaulay's grand style and masterly force and eloquence
held a high place in his mind. Goethe, the great Grerman poet, was
one of his favorites, as was also Dante, the famous Florentine poet.
He was an extensive reader and student, even x;p to his last days on
earth. Several years before his death he commenced a history of
Sacramento from the earliest days. After writing about twenty chap-
ters they were iniblished in "Themis," a literary journal edited by
the late Win J. Davis and myself. The suspension of "Themis," in
1895, ended the continuation of the history of Sacramento. In fact,
the impress of his mind and genius can be found in all the early his-
tory- of the county and state — judicially, as a lawyer, and as a citizen.

Judge McKune belonged to that class of men who believed that
a kind heart, charitable brain, honesty, simplicity and truth are the
essentials of genuine culture. Among his intimate friends he did not
hesitate to discuss the approach of Nature's final call, and was firm
in his belief that the present life is not the end — that all nature,
all the traditions and history of the human race disclosed that there
is something beyond this life whicli only the dissolution of the earthly
frame would solve.

Only a few men of the type of Jolm II. McKune now remain.

NEWTON BOOTH

It is an attribute of refined nature to talk about those persons
and events that have given us pleasure, and the personal recollections
of Newton Booth are a source of such pleasure. There is an instinct
which prompts human nature to rebel against oblivion. Unless mem-
ory is invoked through the press the world soon forgets the most

240 JllSTORy OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

spacious and conspicuous fame. In the person of Newton Booth
were combined most remarkable qualities. There was dignity in ev-
erything he said and wrote. He was a scholar, writer, orator, phil-
osopher, statesman and withal a most successful merchant. His
orations, lectures and addresses will at all times have a place with
the best and most polished of the nation. He was possessed of the
attribute that endeared him to his fellow men. When such men pass
away we are prone to hear and learn all we can about them.

In addition to Newton Booth's brilliant public career, I now
recall many incidents of his social life and the distinguished per-
sons entertained by him at his commodious rooms over the store of
"Booth & Co.," on Front street, in this city. That classic pre-
cinct has been the scene of many great social events wherein states-
men, orators, actors, artists and authors have been his guests.

For more than a tliird of a century no great statesman, orator
or actor visited this city who did not become the welcome guest and
was entertained by that knightly and courteous gentleman. The most
brilliant epoch was, however, during his administration as governor
of this state. Brilliant receptions were the order, and all who en-
tered his sjilendid home, poor and rich alike, stood upon a level,
brains and numly worth being the only tickets of admission.

Long before the completion of the Central Pacific railroad, when
that greatest of .iournalists, Horace Greely, made his stagecoach trip
across the continent and was landed by Hank Monk at the depot of
the Sacramento Valley railroad at Folsom, upon his arrival at this
city he became the guest of Newton Booth.

That great orator and divine, Thomas Starr King, famous for
his clarion notes at the outset of the Civil War, in behalf of the
Union, was often the guest of Newton Booth.

Newton Booth was a native of Indiana, and when the great war
governor of that state, Oliver P. Morton, ^'isited California, he made
his home his residence, where he met some of the most distinguished
men of the state.

Gen. W. T. Sherman, ujion his tour over the country was the guest
of Newton Booth, and was accompanied by him to witness a noted
play at the Metropolitan theater, where upon their entrance a grand
ovation was given them l)y the large audience.

General Grant, upon his tour around the world, when he arrived
at Sacramento, spent a few hours with our distinguished fellow-
citizen.

President Hayes and President Harrison, upon their visits, re-
si)ectively partook of his hosjiitality. When Lord Russell, chief jus-
tice of the Queen's Bench of England, came to this state, he did not
depart without paying his respects to this prince of entertainers.

Newton Booth was an enthusiastic devotee of the drama. Every
distinguished actor or actress received his cordial hospitality. Edwin

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 241

Booth, before he became famous, as well as afterward, was a personal
friend of Newton Booth. About the last time Edwin Booth appeared
in this city, a ])riyate dinner was tendered him by Newton Booth,
and at the board there were seated the host. Creed Raymond, Henry
Edgerton, Samuel Seabough, Paul Morrill, Edwin Booth, the guest
of honor, and nivself. Some one of the party suggested that Edwin
Booth read the Lord's Prayer. I shall remember the emotion as long
as life lasts. Never did I hear the Lord's Prayer read before, and
never after, as it was then read. It was almost a divine inspiration.

John McCuUough was his frequent giiest. During the engage-
ment of John McCullough and Alice Kingsbury at the old Metro-
politan theater, they were entertained at his home.

When Katherine Rogers, a noted actress, held the boards in this
eit}', she received a royal welcome at the governor's home.

Old Joe Proctor, Walter Leman and Mrs. Judali were also the
recipients of his hospitality.

Governor Booth's administration was noted for its many elab-
orate and brilliant receptions. The Old Bohemian Cluli, which also
included the Sacramento Dramatic Association, of which the governor
was a member, was specially favored with a number of splendid re-
ceptions and entertainments. At these fetes the members of the
club, which was composed of many brilliant and scholarly men and
women, would reciprocate, giving original productions of the brain
in literature, art, nnisic and the drama. On one occasion the club
resolved to procure the famous Russian drama, "The Serf," and
Governor Booth was assigned the title role. Albert Hart, the noble-
hearted, generous, witty Albert Hart, was the manager. A rehearsal
was called, and while the "star" had his lines dead letter perfect,
he did not have the slightest conception of the art of acting, and
after a few attempts led Albert Hart to exclaim: "Ye gods, could
anything be worse!" "Well," said Hart, "you are a great orator.
bi;t I'm d — d if ever I saw such poor acting." This was his first
and last attempt at the histrionic art. While Newton Booth was
sedate and dignified in his manner, he was a superb conversationalist,
and mo.st social and democratic to his fellowmen. There was a vein
of unctuous humor in him, also sparkling and incisive wit — a wit
that did not leave any scars.

xVs an illustration of his dry humor, while he was United States
Senator he visited his native state, Indiana, and was entertained by
the distinguished men of that state. During one of these e^•ents some
of his hosts, in a humorous way. alluded to the great productions
of California, particularly the large strawberries, and remarked that
as Senator Booth was a truthful man, any information coming
from him could be relied upon. "Now," said one of his hosts, "Sen-
ator, how about your big strawberries?" "Well," said the Senator,
"since you have paid me such a pretty compliment for veracity, I

242 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

will say that we do raise some verj- large strawberries, and tbey
come at about ten cents a pound, but they are somewbat less if you
bu5' a wbole one."

It was my good fortune to be a close and intimate friend of Gov-
ernor Bootb and often was bis guest for a social as well as literary
converse. His library was his borne within which was an atmosphere
of the classics, a treasure-bouse of literature. Many evenings I spent
listening to him converse on deep sul),iects, as well as spurts of wit and
humor — interspersed with an occasional mint julep, compounded as a
"nectar fit for the gods." It was a custom of the tirm of "Bootb &
Co." each Christmas to load up wagons with groceries and distribute
the same to poor families. His partner, "Cy" Wheeler — grand, large-
souled old "Cy" — attended to the proper distribution, and never al-
lowed any publicity regarding who were the donors.

Newton Bootb was always the foe of tyranny of great corpora-
tions and the unjust interference of aggregated wealth in public af-
fairs. On one occasion his former friend, also a brilliant orator, John
A. Felton, charged him with being an "alarmist." This accusation
brought forth a caustic reply filled with powerful invective and irony,
which remains a masterpiece in its line. To show that Booth was
more of a projibet than an alarmist, I quote from one of his speeches :

"Would you behold the saddest spectacle of the age? See it in
the strong man seeking in vain for a place to earn bis daily bread
by daily toil.

' ' Would you disco\-er the danger that threatens social order ? Find
it in the boys of our cities growing up in voluntary or enforced idle-
ness, to graduate into prisoners or outlaws.

"Whoever will look open-eyed into the future will see that the
'labor question'; the question of directing the rising generation into
the channels of useful emplo^Tiient; the question of the equitable dis-
tribution of the burdens and reward of labor, so that the drones shall
not live ujion the workers, and honest industry may be certain of its
reward; the question of making labor able — not only honorable but
honored, is the social problem more important than political questions
to which our age shall address itself. It must be intelligently solved,
or, like the blind Samson, it will bring the temple down upon our
heads. ' '

Newton Booth was at all times patriotic, and took an active part
in politics. He was one of the first to raise his voice and devote his
abilities for the Union against rebellion. In later years he often took
an active part in the local primaries. I remember on one occasion
many years ago, he beaded a primary ticket in the first ward, com-
posed of such men as T. B. McFarland, John H. McKuue. E. B. Moll,
George W. Cbesley, W. A. Anderson, Jacob Bauer, C. K. Dougherty.

The first ward was then the leading ward in the city, and Frank
Rlioads bad only developed into a ward leader. Frank did not like

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 243

the personnel of the above ticket, and made up one of his own, com-
posed mostly of Confidence Engine Company No. 1 firemen. During
the progress of the election it became evident that the "boys' " ticket
was defeated, and Rhoads, just before the closing of the polls, ordered
a sham fight for the purpose of getting me out of the way, I having
been detailed to guard the ballot-box. Anyway, the fight began, and
before I could realize the purport, I was seized and thrown bodily out
of the window, sash and all. While this was going on, of course the
work of adding a few handfuls of tickets to the hoys changed the
result. When I got back into the room, full of fight and vengeance, no
one seemed to be in any fighting mood and merely laughed at me, say-
ing that there was no fight, and that I only fell out of the window.
Of course there was nothing further to do but grin and bear it. Booth
and Ehoads used often to laugh over the episode and the result. Per-
haps the saddest part is the fact that I am the only one left of that
historic crowd to tell the story.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER ANDERSON

By the late Winfield J. Davis

There are few men whose lives are crowned with the honor and
respect which is universally accorded to William Alexander Anderson,
but through more than half a century's connection with central Cali-
fornia's history his has been an unblemished character. With him
success in life has been reached by sterling qualities of mind and a
heart true to every manly principle. He has never deviated from what
his judgment indicated to be right and honorable between his fellow-
men and himself. He has never swerved from the path of duty, and
he has every reason to enjoy the consciousness of having gained for
himself by his honorable, straightforward career the conlidence and
respect of the entire communit)^ in which he lives. He has attained
a foremost position at the bar, and as a writer and dramatic critic is
also well known. The public career of but few other men of Sacra-
mento has extended over a longer period, and none have been more
faultless in honor, fearless in conduct and stainless in reputation.

Judge Anderson is a native of Wisconsin, his birth having oc-
curred at Mineral Point, in that state, February 25, 1846. He was a
son of Hartford and Susan Anderson, who became pioneer residents
of California, settling in this state at the period of its early mining
development. His paternal grandfather was a resident of Edinburgh,
Scotland, in early life, and his wife was born in the north of Ireland.
Having emigrated to America, he established his home in Pennsyl-
vania, where occurred the birth of his son Hartford. The mothei- of
our subject, Mrs. Susan (Atkins) Anderson, was a native of Kentucky.
For some time the parents of the Judge resided in Wisconsin, where
the father worked at the trade of carriage and wagon making. The
business opportunities of the west, however, attracted him, and hoping

244 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

that he might readily obtain a fortune in the mining districts of Cali-
fornia, he made his way across the plains, accompanied by his family.
They traveled over the stretches of hot sand, through the mountain
passes, till the days had lengihened into weeks, and the weeks into
months. At length they safely reached their destination. Mrs. Ander-
son, however, did not long survive her arrival on the Pacific coast, her
death occurring during the cholera epidemic of 1852. Hartford Ander-
son, well known as one of the pioneer residents of Sacramento, con-
tinued to make his home in the capital city until his demise, which
occurred in October, 1896. He took an active and interested part in
the early development of this portion of the state, and his sympathy
and support were always given to the measures and monuments which
contributed to the latter-day progress and improvement.

Judge Anderson was only three years old at the time of his
parents' removal to the west. He began his education in the public
schools, and supplemented his early mental training by study in Santa
Clara college, thus completing his literary course. His i^rofessional
training was received in the Benicia Law College. His earlier studies,
however, were directed in such a manner as to prepare him for the
profession of civil engineering, but at a later date he determined to
pursue the study of the law, and entered the institution mentioned,
completing there a thorough law course, after which he was graduated
with the class of 1865.

Throughout his entire business career Judge Anderson has de
voted his attention to the law, having been admitted to the bar of Cali-
fornia by the supreme court of the state in 1866, and to the United
States circuit court in 1880. Admitted to the bar, he at once entered
upon practice, and from the beginning has been unusualh" prosperous
in every respect. The success he has attained has been due to his own
efforts and merits. The possession of advantages is no guarantee
whatever of professional advancement, which comes not of itself, nor
can it be secured without integrity, ability and industry. These qual-
ities he possesses to an eminent degree, and he is faithful to every in-
terest committed to his charge. Throughout his whole life, whatever
his hand has found to do, whether in his profession or in his official
duties, or in any other sphere, he does with all his might and with a
deep sense of conscientious obligation. As a law>'er, he is sound,
clear-minded and well trained. He is at home in all departments of
the law, from the minutiae in practice to the greater topics involving
the consideration of the ethics and the ]ihilosophy of jurisprudence and
the higher concerns of ])ublic policy. His success, however, affords
the best evidence of his capabilities in this line. He is a strong advo-
cate with the jury, and concise in his appeals before the court. Much
of the success which has attended him in his professional career is
undoubtedly due to the fact that in no instance will he permit himself
to go into court with a case unless he has absolute confidence in the

HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY 245

justice of his client's cause. Basing his efforts ou this principle, from
which there are far too many lapses in professional ranks, it naturally
follows that he seldom loses a case in whose support he is enlisted.

Judge Anderson was first chosen to public office before he had
attained his majority, being elected county auditor in 1866. His next
public service was that of assistant adjutant-general in the Fourth
Brigade of the California National Guard, from 1868 to 1879. In the
meantime he was elected city attorney in 1875, and was continued in
that ol'iice until 1886. In 1893 legislative honors were conferred upon
him, he being chosen to represent the eighteenth district of California
in the assembly, where he gave careful consideration to every question
that came up for settlement, and espoused with ardor or opposed with
equal earnestness the course which he believed would prove of benefit
to the commonwealth or check its best interests. His service in the
house won him the commendation of his constituents and the respect
of his political opponents. In 1898 he was chosen police judge of
Sacramento, and his decisions were characterized by the strictest im-
partiality and equity. He was serving an unexpired term as city
justice when the new charter went into effect.

Judge Anderson has always given his political allegiance to the
Republican party, and having made a close and earnest study of the
issues and questions of the day, he has become more strongly con-
firmed in his opinion that the party platform contains the best ele-
ments of good government. His campaign work has been effective
and far-reaching, for he has visited various portions of California,
advocating the doctrines of Republicanism, and expounding the basic
elements on which the political organization rests. He was one of
the first champions of Major McKinley in California, and became a
member of the executive committee during that campaign. He has
been a delegate to nearly every Republican county and state conven-
tion for nearly thirty years, and his opinions carry weight in the
counsels of his party. In 1898 he was a delegate to the National
Republican League convention, held in Omaha.

Judge Anderson has been twice married, and by the first union
had one son, Osmer "W. Anderson, who was born August 22, 1871, and
who was for two years a volunteer soldier in the Philippines. On the
8th of September. 1880, Judge Anderson married Miss Mary Cadwell.
Their 's is an attractive home, the center of many an entertaining
social fimction, and hospitality which is both gracious and generous
is the pervading atmosphere of the household. In his fraternal rela-
tions Judge Anderson is an Odd Fellow. He was reared in the
Episcopal faith, but is a man of broad and liberal ^dews in religious
matters, and is a communicant of no church organization at the
present time.

A man of scholarly attainments and literary tastes, possessing
broad general, as well as classical, information, he finds considerable

246 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

enjoyment in giving his time to literary pursuits, and has been a fre-
quent contributor to the daily papers. He was one of the founders
of a literary journal called "Themis," which was noted for historical
merit and for its clear-cut and literary editorials. He is the author
of some dramatic works, and is well known as a dramatic critic and
lover of the drama. He has studied from the art standpoint many of
the most celebrated dramas of the world, and has had a personal
accjuaiutance with most of the great dramatists of a generation ago,
including Edwin Booth, John McCuUough, Lawrence Barrett and a
number of the actors and actresses. His writings are fluent and enter-
taining, eloquent and versatile, and for a third of a century he has
been known to the public as a lecturer whose addresses have created
widespread interest. His influence upon literary and aesthetic culture
of the state has been most potent, and at the same time he has given
a practical support to the measures intended to advance the material
interests of Sacramento. As a man and a citizen he is honored and
respected in every class of society. While undoubtedly he is not with-
out that honorable ambition which is so powerful and useful as an
incentive to activity in public affairs, he regards the pursuits of pri-
vate life as being in themselves abundantly worthy of his best efforts.
His is a character that subordinates personal ambition to public good
and seeks rather the benefit of others than the aggrandizement of self.
His is a conspicuously successful career. Endowed by nature with
high intellectual qualities, to which are added the discipline and em-
bellishments of culture, his is a most attractive personality. Well
versed in the learning of his profession, with a deep knowledge of
human nature and of the springs of human conduct, with great
shrewdness and sagacity, and extraordinary tact, he is in the courts
an advocate of great power and influence, and both judges and juries
hear him with deep interest.

CHAPTER XXVIII

FRATERNAL SOCIETIES

The history of Masonry in the state of California is so inextric-
ably interwoven with the history of Masonry in Sacramento, that we
may be pardoned if we give a somewhat extended mention of its in-
ception. The first meeting of lodges that resulted in the formation
of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons
of the State of California took place in the city of Sacramento. For
the early history of Masonry in the state we are indebted to the deep
and tireless research of old records by Edwin A. Sherman, 33°, Vener-
able Grand Secretary of the Masonic Veteran Association of the
Pacific Coast, as set forth in his "Fifty Years of Masonry in Cali-
fornia. ' '

Even with the first explorers of the wilds west of the Rocky

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 247

mountains, came Masons as trappers, hunters and traders. Few, if
any, such parties did not embrace within their ranks at least one or
more Masons, fearless, energetic men, who carried in their bosoms the
doctrines and secret ceremonies of the Mystic Tie, men of moral
courage as well as physical, of stern integrity and fidelity to their
Masonic obligations. Many a tale could be told of the devotion of
these daring spirits to their distressed or imperiled brethren, and also
to their comrades not bound to them by the ties of Masonry.

The first Masonic missionary, for he might well be classed as a
missionary, who came to California, and returned to Missouri to bring
from the Grand Lodge of that state the first charter for a Masonic
lodge, was Peter Lassen. Long before the discovery of gold, he came
here, brave, hardy and determined, and was untiring in his resolve
to foimd a Masonic lodge here, while the country was still under the
Mexican rule. Lassen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 7,
1800, and there learned his trade of blacksmith. At twenty-nine years
of age he crossed the ocean to Boston, and a few years after removed
to Missouri. In 1839, with a party of others, he came to Oregon, and
after spending the winter there, sailed in an English ship to Fort
Bodega, then occupied by the Russians. The Mexican comandante
sent a party of soldiers to prevent their landing, but the Russian
governor ordered the Mexican soldiers to leave or be shot down, and
they retired. Lassen and his comrades were stranded and unable to
get away, and ajjpealed to the American consul at Monterey, stating
that they had been denied passports and were without funds, that they
wanted to proceed to the settlements or to obtain a pass to return to
their own country. The appeal wound up with the characteristic state-
ment : ' ' Should we receive no relief, we will take up our arms and
travel, consider ourselves in an enemy's country and defend ourselves
with our guns."

After remaining at Bodega fifteen days, however, they managed
to reach Yerba Buena and later Lassen went to San Jose, bought some
land in 1841 at Santa Cruz and set up a sawmill. In 184.3 John Bid-
well, Lassen and James Burheim pursued a party bound for Oregon as
far as Red Bluff and recovered some stolen animals. Bidwell made
a map of the valley and named the streams, and on his return Lassen
applied to Governor Micheltorena for a grant of land, based on Bid-
well's ma]). He received it and selected Deer creek, in Tehama county,
proceeding there the next spring and making the first settlement noi'th
of Cordua at Marysville. He laid out a town which he named Benton
City, where he proposed to start a Masonic lodge. He laid out the
Lassen road for immigTants and named Lassen Peak. This was before
the discovery of gold, and in 1847 he went back to Missouri to get a
charter for a lodge, several other Masons having joined him at Benton
City. He obtained a charter for Western Star Lodge No. 98, May 10,
1848, naming Saschel Woods, master; L. E. Stewart, senior warden,

248 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

and Lasseu, junior warden. He returned with the charter and an im-
migrant train of twelve wagons, being joined at Pitt river by a party
of Oregoniaus who had heard of the discovery of gold, of which he had
not heard until they joined him. He did not learn that a Masonic
lodge had been instituted at Oregon City, September 11, 1848, under
authority of the grand lodge of Missouri, or that Joseph Hull, the
master, and several other Masons of that lodge were with the Oregon
train. Neither party learned till long afterwards that any of the
others were Masons, or that Lassen had a charter for a lodge. He
afterwards went to Plumas county, and in 1853 met his death at the
hands of the Piute Indians. His body was recovered by citizens and
buried at Honey lake on his ranch, and a stone monument erected to
his memory, while the county of Lassen was named after him.

November 9, 1848, Samuel York Atlee, William Van Voorhies and
Bedney F. McDonald received a charter for California Lodge No. 13,
from the District of Columbia, and located it at San Francisco. Con-
necticut Lodge No. 75 was granted a charter by the grand lodge of
Connecticut, January 31, 1849. Pacific Lodge, U. D., was granted a
traveling charter by the Grand Lodge of Louisiana, June 5, 1849, and
located at Benicia, subsequently becoming Benicia Lodge. The same
Grand Lodge also granted a dispensation to Davy Crockett Lodge at
San Francisco. Illinois granted a dispensation to a traveling lodge
which located at Marysville, and Wisconsin granted one to Lafayette
Lodge at Nevada City. The records of Western Star Lodge were de-
stroyed by fire, so that, although it was the oldest lodge in the state,
the records of California Lodge No. 13 are the oldest extant.

Connecticut Lodge No. 75, the first one in Sacramento, is now
known as Tehama Lodge No. 3, F. and A. M. Its inception, as re-
lated by R. H. McDonald and Past Grand Master John A. Tutt, the
only Mason living who assisted in the organization of the grand lodge
of California, we find some interesting data. In 1849 Dr. McDonald
opened an office on K street near Sixth, and a friend of his, who was
going to the mines, came to his office and said: "Doctor, when I was
coming across the plains and along the Humboldt valley in Nevada, I
saw piled up on the sand by the side of the road, a lot of books, and
on a card fastened on a stick, this notice : ' Help yourself. ' There were
a good many fine Ijooks in the heap, and among them this large red
morocco-covered Bible with gilt edges. As I could not pack more than
one book along with me, I took this Bible, and brought it through. As
I am going to the mines, and cannot take it with me, and as you are a
kind of religious cuss, I'll give it to you." Dr. McDonald accepted it.

Shortly after, in September, 1849, several written notices were
found posted up around the horse market, on the trees, calling a
meeting of all Master Masons in good standing, to meet in the upper
part of a building on the north side of K street. When the meeting
convened, the little garret was packed with brethren who were nearly

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY l>49

all strangers to one another. The meeting was called to order by John

A. Tutt, and someone made a motion that Dr. R. II. McDonald take
the chair. Dr. McDonald was surprised, as he did not know a single
person present, but he approached the box that was used as a chair,
and was confronted by a tall stranger, who also stepped forward to
take it. It was an amusing scene, as they stood looking each other in
the face. "Are you Dr. R. H. McDonald, and have you a monopoly of
the name of McDonald," asked R. li. "I am Dr. R. H. McDaniel,"
was the reply, "but am known as Dr. McDonald through a mistake in
calling my name." Mutual explanations followed, and as the stranger
proved to be the one nominated, he took the chair and opened the
meeting. When it became necessary to ascertain who were Masons,
it was discovered that there was no Bible present, and it could not be
dispensed with. "Wait a minute, and I will get one," said Dr. Mc-
Donald. He went out and brought in the pioneer Bible which his
friend had given him. An association was then and there formed for
the relief of the sick and distressed brethren who were constantly
arriving.

Soon afterwards the discovery was made that there was in ex-
istence a charter for a Masonic Lodge in the hands of one of the
brethren, issued to Connecticut Lodge No. 75. Upon this the associa-
tion was dissolved, and on January 8, 1850, it organized under the
name of Connecticut Lodge No. 75, and Dr. R. H. McDonald presented
liis Bible to the lodge. Today it belongs to Tehama Lodge No. 3,
the successor of Connecticut Lodge. The lodge secured the upper part
of the Red House, on the southeast corner of Fifth and J streets, which
was the building best suited to its purposes, at that time, but as the
owner shortly afterwards rented the lower story for immoral pur-
poses, the lodge removed with its furniture to the attic over the old
market house on M street near Second. Previous to this, however,
the Grand Lodge of California was organized in the building first
occupied, on April 19, 1850. Tehama Lodge No. 3 was chartered by
the Grand Loclge of California. The Bible used in organizing the
Grand Lodge of California was the same one Dr. McDonald pre-
sented to Connecticut Lodge.

The deputy grand master of New Jersey issued a dispensation
March 1, 1849, to open a lodge in the territory of California, which
seems to have been a sort of roving commission, with power for the
master and brethren to appoint his successors in office until the next
annual meeting of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. It seemed to
exist continuously and to assume the functions and pri^aleges of an
independent chartered lodge. The dispensation from the Grand Lodge
of New Jersey authorized Thomas Youngs, Moses W. Personett, John

B. Clark and others to open the lodge, and named Youngs as master.
He conveyed authority to John E. Crockett and certified that fact on
the back of the dispensation. Crockett, so authorized, opened New

250 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Jersey Lodge in this city December 4, 1849, and it was in active and
successful oi^eration by April 17, 1850, and chose its representatives
to the convention of that date. The delegates, however, could take no
part in the organization of the Grand Lodge, not being an independent
chartered lodge, but only a temporary creation of the Deputy Grand
Master of New Jersey. Immediately after the organization of the
Grand Lodg-e of California, this lodge applied and received a charter
as Berryman Lodge No. 3, which was changed shortly afterwards to
Jennings Lodge No. 4.

There are very few who are aware that there were two Grand
Lodges of California instituted for the government of the order, but
such was the fact. The records of the first Grand Lodge were un-
doubtedly destroyed. There was no opportimity to examine the
records of Connecticut Lodge and Western Star Lodge, which were
destroyed by fire, nor of New Jersey Lodge, U. D., which is extinct,
nor of Benicia Lodge, U. D., of Benicia, which presented no records
to the convention. California Lodge No. 13, of San Francisco, was a
regularly chartered lodge, but it was not notified of the action con-
templated for the organization of a Grand Lodge, and as the Masonic
law and custom provides that there must be present representatives
from three regularly chartered lodges, the organization of the first
Grand Lodge was irregular and illegal.

California Lodge No. 13, being notified of the action organizing
a Grand Lodge at Sacramento, appointed a committee to investigate,
and finding the state of affairs, notified the Sacramento brethren of
the irregularity of their action, suggesting that the matter be begun
over again. The brethren at Sacramento, finding their error, aban-
doned voluntarily their Grand Lodge, the officers of which are un-
known, and joined with California Lodge for the formation of a legally
constituted Grand Lodge. Notices were sent oiit to the regular lodges
of A. Y. Masons of the state, for a convention to be held at Sacra-
mento April 17, 1850, for the formation of a Grand Lodge.

The convention met on the 17th in this city, and Most Worshipful
Charles Gilman of San Francisco, Past Grand Master of Maryland,
was called to the chair, and Benjamin D. Hyam of Benicia, after-
wards Grand Master of California, was chosen secretary. Representa-
tives of the following lodges presented their credentials to W. N.
Doughty and John A. Tutt of Sacramento and John H. Gihon of San
Francisco, the Committee on Credentials: California Lodge No. 13,
San Francisco ; Connecticut Lodge No. 75, Sacramento ; Western Star
Lodge No. 98, Benton City; New Jersey Lodge, U. D., Sacramento;
Benicia Lodge, U. D., Benicia. The committee reported the first three
as regularly chartered, and New Jersey Lodge as regularly under dis-
pensation, but that Benicia Lodge had presented neither a charter nor
a dispensation. The three chartered lodges were pronounced by the
convention entitled to form a Grand Lodge. The constitution of the

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 251

Grand Lodge was adopted on April 19th, and the following Grand
Officers elected: Jonathan D. Stevenson, R. W. grand master; John
A. Tutt, R. W. deputy grand master; Caleb Fenner, R. W. senior
grand warden; Saschel Woods, R. W. junior grand warden; John H.
Gilion, R. W. grand secretary.

New Jersey Lodge was granted a charter, and at the first annual
meeting of the Grand Lodge in this city, May 7, 1850, Benicia Lodge
received its charter. A dispensation had been granted to Sutter Lodge
in Sacramento, and it was granted a charter. The lodges belonging to
the Grand Lodge were given numbers as follows: California Lodge,
No. 1; Western Star Lodge, No. 2; Tehama Lodge, No. 3; Berryman
Lodge (Sacramento), No. 4; Benicia Lodge, No. 5; Sutter Lodge
(Sacramento), No. 6. The name of Berryman Lodge was changed to
Jennings Lodge No. 4. By this formation of the Grand Lodge, Sacra-
mento secured in the election the deputy grand master, junior grand
warden, and eight of the appointive officers, to which she was en
titled, being the great distributing point for Masonic charity.

The semi-annual meeting of the Grand Lodge was held at Sacra-
mento in November, 1850, during the last days of the cholera epidemic,
and in its proceedings it developed that those attending taxed them-
selves voluntarily for charity, $17,010.70, an average of $205 each ; and
assumed a debt of $14,425.44, an average of $174, making a contribu-
tion of $379 for every Master Mason in Sacramento contributing to
the Masonic Hospital inside of ten months, besides answering other
demands for charity of all descriptions. Those were the days when
Masons' hearts and purses were opened wide at the call of distress.
Fortunately for Sacramento, she has never since been so strenuously
called on for relief, although even now her board of relief, composed
of the masters of the lodges, is called upon to contribute large sums
yearly. Never, j^erhaijs, in the history of the world has there been an
exhibition of such great sacrifice, such unselfish charity, and such de-
voted service to the cause of humanity as the records of the early
days of Sacramento show to have been carried out by the Masonic
pioneers of the city and state, in conjunction with the offspring of
Masonry — the Order of Odd Fellows — during the terrible seasons of
disease and e]iidemic in 1849-50.

In 1864 the initial steps were taken for the erection of a Masonic
Temple. The first meeting of the Masonic Hall Association was held
July 1, 1864. The board of directors chosen from the five lodges were
A. T. Nelson, Leonard Goss, W. F. Knox, H. T. Holmes, Richai-d
Dale, S. D. Smith, Thomas Ross, P. S. Lawson and John W. Rock,
all of whom have since passed away. The association incorpor-
ated on September 17, 1864, with a capital of $30,000, divided into
twelve thousand shares of twenty-five dollars each. November 1, 1864,
they bought of R. D. Ferguson the old "Horse Market" at the south-
west corner of Sixth and K streets, on the trees of which, in 1849,

252 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

the notices for the first meeting of Masons in Sacramento had been
posted. June 24, 1865, the cornerstone of the building was laid by
Grand Master William Caldwell Belcher. An excursion to Clipper
Gap, where an oration was delivered by A. A. Sargent, netted $18,000,
and the hall, which was added to and remodeled in 1875, at a cost of
many thousands, is one of the finest and most valuable Masonic prop-
erties in the state. A few years ago the directors of the association
purchased a site at Twelfth and J streets, on which it is proposed to
erect a new Masonic Temple, the plans of which have been accepted,
at a cost of $450,000. In the present temple the five lodges of Sacra-
mento meet, as well as the Chapter, E. A. M., the Council, Com-
mandery and the Scottish Eite bodies, as well as four Eastern Star
chapters. The Scottish Eite bodies are planning at present to erect a
building for that Masonic branch.

The early history of Tehama Lodge No. 3, which was first char-
tered as Connecticut Lodge No. 75, and recharterecl by the Grand
Lodge under its present name January 8, 1850, has been delineated in
this article. The charter was granted to Caleb Fenner, W. M. ; James
W. Goodrich, S. W., and Elizur Hubbell, J. W. John A. Tutt, one
of its charter members, was afterwards grand master. Two of Cali-
fornia's early governors, John Bigler and J. Neely Johnson, were
among its members on the first roll sent to the Grand Lodge in Novem-
ber, 1850; also Gen. A. M. Winn. After the lodge removed from the
Eed House it located in the hall over the market house at Second and
M streets, moving thence to the upper story of Stanford's building on
K street, and going, in 1854, to the third story of Bennett's building
on J street, between Front and Second. Since the erection of the Tem-
ple, it holds its meetings there. It is a prosperous lodge, its present
membership being two hundred and thirty. The officers for 1912:
Henry A. W. Lindgreen, W. M. ; Louis e". Plate, S. W.; Henry H.
MeCann, J. W. ; William 0. Girardy, treasurer ; Theodore J. Milliken,
secretarv; Charles E. Farrar, chaplain; Donald McClain, S. D. ; Tol-
bert T. Bray, S. D. ; Halleck H. Look, marshal ; Albert Greilich, S. S. ;
Chester W. Foster, J. S. ; E. 0. Cravens, tyler.

Jennings Lodge No. 4, acting under dispensation as New Jersey
Lodge, and chartered by the Grand Lodge of California May 7, 1850,
as Berryman Lodge No. 4, of which the name was changed the same
day to Jennings Lodge No. 4, resolved February 14, 185.3, to surrender
its charter to the Grand Lodge, and did so, passing out of existence.
Hon. H. C. Hastings, afterwards a justice of the supreme court of
California, E. J. C. Kewen, and other prominent men were members
of it.

Sutter Lodge No. 6 was granted a dispensation by Deputy Grand
Master Tutt April 19, 1850, with Edward J. Willis", W. M.'; C. E.
Thorn, S. D., and Addison Martin, J. D., as officers, and was granted
a charter by the Grand Lodge on May 7th following. The lodge, hav-

HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY 253

iug lost its furuitnre aud jewels b)' fire, surrendered its charter, and
was declared extinct by the Grand Lodge, May 6, 1853. E. J. Willis
was county judge of Sacramento, and E. W. McKiustry, another mem-
ber, was afterwards a justice of the supreme coui't of California.

Washington Lodge No. 20 was organized February 19, 1852,
granted a dispensation two days afterwards, with Charles Dunscombe,
W. M.; Jesse Morrill, S. W. ; J. L. Thompson, J. W., and a charter
was granted to it May 5, 1852. Its first master, N. Greene Curtis,
served four terms as grand master, and it has in its membership our
present governor, Hiram Warren Johnson, besides two governors who
afterwards received foreign appointments — John Bigler, United States
Minister to Chili, and Romualdo Pacheco, United States Minister to
Guatemala, and who was the second native Spanish Californian, as
far as is known, to receive the degree of Masonry. There were a num-
ber of other members who became prominent in the state's historj".
The officers for 1912 were: John Gibson Labadie, W. M. ; Clyde
Horace Brown, S. W. ; John Henry Lindenmeyer, J. W. ; Benjamin
Huntington Gallup, treasurer; John Scott, secretary; Frank Bock, S.
D. ; Mahlou E. Waldron, marshal ; George B. Herr, tyler.

Sacramento Lodge No. 40 was granted a dispensation July 20,
1853, and May 3, 1854, obtained its charter, when its officers were:
James Lawrence English, W. M. ; John A. Tutt, S. W. ; John H. Gass,
J. W. ; W. J. Kohlman, treasurer; W. G. Borneman, secretary; B. F.
Crouch, chaplain; W. W. Stovall, S. D.; H. Greenbaum, J. D. Edwin
Sherman, author of "Fifty Years of Masonry in California," was a
member of this lodge. John A. Tutt, William Lawrence English and
E. C. Atkinson were all grand masters. W. M. Petrie, for more than
thirty years treasurer of the lodge, W. L. English, Isaac Davis and
W. F. Knox have been grand high priests of the Grand Chapter, and
grand commanders of the Grand Commandery of California. Davis
and English were also grand masters of the Grand Council.

Union Lodge No. 58 was granted a dispensation June 5, 1854,
with James Ealston, W. M. ; Gabriel Haines, S. W. ; and Sol Kohl-
man, J. W., pro tern.; May 4, 1855, its charter was granted, with
the same master and senior warden, W. A. Walters as junior war-
den, taking Kohlman 's place. The only charter member now living
is Col. A. Andrews of San Francisco. Samuel C. Denson, a former
judge of the superior court, was a grand master from this lodge,
and George T. Bromley, known all over the coast for his amiable
and genial qualities, was a member. He was conductor of the
first train on the first railroad built in California. Benjamin Welch,
another member, was a thirtv-third degree member of the A. and
A. S. R.

Concord Lodge No. 117 never received a dispensation. Its peti-
tion for a charter was received by the Grand Lodge May 14, 1857, and
its charter was granted the next morning, naming John L. Thompson,

254 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

W. M. ; Thomas Johnson, S. W. ; and Charles S. White, J. W. William
H. Hevener, the oldest member and a past master of this lodge, was
given his degrees in 1859. He has been secretary of the lodge for
nearly thirty years. The late S. H. Gerrish, who died in Angnst, 1912,
for many years secretary of the Sacramento Free Library, was a
member of this lodge.

KOYAL ARCH MASONS

Sacramento Chapter No. 3, R. A. M., was instituted October 5,

1852, with the following officers and charter members : Isaac Davis,
H. P.; J. H. Bullard, K.; Joel Noah, S.; T. A. Thomas, C. of H. ;
Charles Duncombe, P. S. ; J. Ball, R. A. C. ; J. P. Gouch, M. Third V. ;
Q. Haines, M. Second V. ; J. Wilcoxson, M. First V. The other charter
members were: A. B. Hoy, T. W. Thayer, John L. Thompson, Jesse
Morrill, William Reynolds, I. N. Briceland, A. Hullub, Cyrus Rowe.
The chapter at present numbers over three hundred members.

Sacramento Council No. 1, Royal and Select Masters, was insti-
tuted April 10, 1858, with the following officers and charter members :
Isaac Davis, T. I. M. ; John A. Tutt, D. I. M. ; Geo. I. N. Monell, P. C.
of W. ; G. E. Montgomery, R. ; N. Greene Curtis, treasurer. Other
charter members were : Jesse Morrill, T. A. Thomas, G. Haines, H. H.
Hartley, O. H. Dibble, A. G. Richardson and J. Wilcoxson. It has at
present a very large membership.

Sacramento Commandery No. 2, K. T., was instituted July 5,

1853, with the following charter members and officers : Isaac Davis,
E. C; Jesse Morrill, G.; T. A. Thomas, C. G.; C. I. Hutchinson, A. B.
Hoy, John L. Thompson, Charles Duncombe, J. P. Gouch and James
M. Stockley. It numbers over two hundred and fifty members.

In 1869 the Scottish Rite branch of Masonry was introduced in
Sacramento, Jacques de Molay Council No. 2, Knights Kadosh, being
instituted on May 13th of that year. Palestine Lodge of Perfection
No. 3 and Alpha Chapter No. 1, Rose Croix, were also instituted about
the same time, but the interest in the Rite dying down, they were dis-
continued in 1873. It was revived again April 3, 1895, by the insti-
tution of Isaac Davis Lodge of Perfection No. 4 -and Palestine Chapter
Rose Croix No. 6, October 25, 1901, and Sacramento Council No. 5,
Knights Kadosh, instituted on the same date, followed. Sacramento
Consistory No. 7 was instituted March 17, 1905. The order is in a
most prosperous condition. It belongs to the southern jurisdiction of
the United States of America. In the late '80s, or early '90s, a
spurious order of Scottish Rite endeavored to obtain a foothold in
Sacramento, but was short lived.

There are at present two 33° Masons in Sacramento: William
M. Petrie and Edward C. H. Hopkins, Benjamin Welch and M. J.
Curtis having recently died.

Naomi Chapter No. 36, Order of the Eastern Star, was instituted

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 255

May 3, 1879, witbiu a few weeks the meiubership increasing to forty.
It is the senior chapter in the city, and boasts of the largest member-
ship. The officers and charter members were: Mrs. E. M. Frost, W.
M. ; J. N. Young, W. P. ; Mrs. M. J. Cravens, A. M. ; E. C. Atkinson,
secretary; W. H. Hevener, treasurer; Mrs. A. J. Atkinson, chaplain;
Miss H. A. Palmer, C. ; Miss M. A. Stanton, A. C; Mrs. A. Coghlan,
Adah ; Mrs. G. Van Voorheis, Ruth ; Mrs. M. E. Parsons, Esther ; Mrs.
E. M. Hartley, Martha; Mrs. C. P. Huntoon, Electa; Mrs. M. F. Mc-
Laughlin, W. ; J. T. Griffitts, sentinel.

Columbus Chapter No. 117, 0. E. S., was instituted August 8,
1892, with eighty-three charter members. Sacramento Chapter No.
190, 0. E. S., was instituted March 7, 1901, with seventy-one charter
members. Ada Chapter No. .301, 0. E. S., was instituted in 1911.

Jewel Court, U. D., of the Royal and Exalted Degree of Amar-
anth, was instituted August 27, 1910, the grand officers of the order
conducting the installation. The first ofiScers were: Royal matron,
Eliza Higgins ; royal patron, Frank Kleinsorge; associate royal ma-
tron, Lulu E. Adams; honored seci'etary, Estella Labadie; honored
treasurer, Frances Just ; honored conductress, Addie De Coe ; honored
associate conductress, Ellen Bowden; honored herald, Frankie Carlaw;
honored marshal in the east, Mary N. Martin; honored marshal in the
west, Alice E. Teal; honored prelate, James T. Martin; Lady Truth,
Bertha Peart; Lady Faith, Elsie Lindgreen; Lady Wisdom, Elsie
Kleinsorge ; Lady Charity, Margaret Z. Kelly ; honored warder, Agnes
Hummell; honored sentinel, Henry Lindgreen. The court received its
charter April 12, 1911.

The colored people have what they claim are lodges of Free-
masonry, working under charters obtained from other jurisdictions,
but not recognized by the white Masons as being regular.

Philomathean Lodge No. 2, F. and A. M. (Colored), worked under
a charter ol)tained from England. It was organized November 6, 1853,
and has qi;ite a large membership. St. John Chapter, R. A. M. (Col-
ored), was organized in 1873.

Adah Chapter No. 2, 0. E. S. (Colored), was instituted in 1871
with twenty-nine members. Dr. R. J. Fletcher was the leading spirit
in Colored Masonry among the colored people, and was instrumental
in establishing the Grand Chapter 0. E. S. (Colored), which was in-
stituted in this city December 27, 1882. The Chinese have a sign
stating that they have a lodge of Masons on Third street, and are said
to use some of the s^nnbols of the order, but whether they have any
of the esoteric work is not known. It is known, however, that there
are Masonic lodges in China.

General A. M. Winn has the credit of introducing Odd Fellowship
into Sacramento as early as August, 1849. There were a number of

256 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

Odd Fellows in the city at that time, and General Winn effected an
informal organization among them for the purpose of affording
relief to the sick members of the order, as well as to others. Their
noble deeds should never be forgotten, for they spared neither time,
work, nor money in relieving the distress and sickness that were so
prevalent at that time. The Masons joined with them in the work
and erected a joint hospital. The complete organization of the first
Odd Fellows' lodge, however, did not take place until January 28, 1851,
when Sacramento Lodge No. 2, I. O. 0. F., was instituted, with Horatio
E. Roberts, N. G. ; G. H. Peterson, V. G. ; George G. Wright, Secretary,
and Lucius A. Booth, Treasurer. The other charter members were:
Samuel Deal, M. Kaliski, Robert Robinson, N. C. Cunningham, M. C.
Collins and William Childs. The meetings were held at first in the
rooms of the Freemasons. The lodge numbers between two hundred
and fifty and three hundred members.

Eureka Lodge No. 4, I. 0. 0. F., was organized January 7, 1852,
with the following officers and charter members : George I. N.
Monnell, N. G. ; Thomas Sunderland, V. G. ; A. P. Andrews, Secre-
tary; William Watson, Treasurer; John Turner, R. S. N. G.; R. Por-
ter, L. S. N. G. ; W. H. Tilley, R. S. V. G. ; W. H. Hall, L. S. V. G. ;
Thomas M. Davis, Warden; A. J. Lucas, Conductor; also David Hall
and Jesse Morrill.

El Dorado Lodge No. 8, I. 0. 0. F., was organized September 24,
1852, with officers and charter members as follows: J. F. Cloutman,
N. G. ; J. L. Polhemus. V. G. ; L. D. Kelly, R. S. ; George W. Chedie,
Treasurer ; A. B. Armstrong, L. Korn, James Levi, Thomas B. Moore,
Joseph S. Korn, James S. Scott and W. Prosser.

Capitol Lodge No. 87, I. 0. 0. F., was instituted June 10, 1859,
by District Deputy Grand Master, Samuel Cross, with the following
first officers and charter members; E. F. White, N. G. ; C. M. Mason,
V. G. ; John McClintock, Secretary, and Amos Woods, Treasurer; the
other charter members were: E. M. Heuston, G. A. Basler, C. B.
Steane, Lewis Shuck, Thomas B. Byrne, James Bowstead, M. M.
Estee and F. K. Krauth.

Schiller Lodge No. 105, I. 0. 0. F., was organized on June 26,
1862, with officers and charter members as follows: S. J. Nathan, N.
G. ; Joseph Schwab, V. G. ; Charles Schwartz, secretary, Charles
Dohn, P. S. ; L. C. Mendelson, treasurer; Lewis Korn, H. Theilbahr,
Anton Wagner, A. Meier, George Ochs, F. Gotthold, Jacob Klippell,
Louis Greenbaum, Peter Kunz and George Guth.

Industrial Lodge No. 157, T. 0. 0. F., was organized April 24,
1869. The officers and charter members were as follows : G. W.
Carroll, N. G. ; J. M. Ripley, V. G. ; J. A. Seamon, R. S. ; G. A. Stod-
dard, P. S. ; John Ri]-)pon, treasurer. Other charter members were:
G. B. Dean, T. P. Ford, I. C. Shaw, Charles Noyes, C. C. Ault, H. C.
Wolf, J. M. Anderson, M. Phelan, B. F. Huntlev, S. H. Gerrish, Roval

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 257

Preston, W. F. Emersou, R. McRae, J. L. Gerrisb, P. Bolger, G. F.
Pattison, W. D. Hammoud, J. S. Pbilbrick, George Landon, M. Fa-
vero, E. E. Masters, W. C. Gent, Joliu Thomas, Add Crandall, J. C.
Carroll and F. Woodward.

Pacific Encampment No. 2, I. O. 0. F., was organized July 29,
1853, with eight charter members: Matthew Parden, P. C. P.; C. C.
Hayden, P. C. P.; Thomas W. Davis, P. H. P.; W. H. Watson,
P. ii. P. ; John F. Morse, P. Robinson, A. J. Lucas and Walter Prosser.

Occidental Encampment No. 42, I. 0. 0. F., was organized No-
vember 14, 1871. S. S. Nixon, P. L. Hickman, J. F. Clark, F. H.
McCormick, R. Davis, Nelson Wilcox and W. M. Ruse were the
charter members ; nearly all have passed away.

Grand Canton Sacramento No. 1, Patriarchs Militant, I. 0. 0. F.
June 14, 1875, fifty Odd Fellows organized Sacramento Battalion
Company A. The first officers were: A. H. Powers, commander
H. A. Burnett, first lieutenant; A. Menke, second lieutenant; J. A
Hutchings, secretary; G. M. Mott, treasurer; F. Hogeboom, first ser
geant; James S. Scott, second sergeant; J. H. Miller, standard bearer
P. E. Piatt and J. H. Stebbins, color bearers.

The Sovereign Grand Lodge, at a regular session in September,
1882, made a provision for the uniformed bodies of Odd Fellows and
passed laws and regulations for them, to be known as Degree Camp
of Uniformed Patriarchs. January .30, 1883, Sacramento Degree
Camp No. 1, Uniformed Patriarchs, was organized with forty-three
members and elected the following officers : Ed. M. Martin, com-
mander; Frank Hogaboom, vice-commander; William A. Stephenson,
secretary; Nelson Wilcox, treasurer; H. A. Burnett, officer of the
guard; W. E. Piatt, picket; F. P. Lowell, banner; Charles Cooley,
guard of tent. The first two initiates in the state were W. F. Nor-
cross and J. Carlaw.

Tn September, 1885, the Sovereign Grand Lodge, I. 0. O. F., reor-
ganized the military branch and changed its name to "Cantons of
Patriarchs Militant, I. O. 0. F." It also adopted a complete set of
laws, with a complete list of military officers, to be under the Sovereign
Grand Lodge. In accordance with this change, March 8, 1886, Grand
Canton Sacramento, No. 1. Patriarchs Militant. I. O. 0. F., was organ-
ized by General C. W. Breyfogle, with eighty members. It elected
officers as follows: W. N. Sherburn, commander; Elwood Bruner,
lieutenant; S. A. Wolfe, ensign for Canton No. 18, both Cantons to
compose Grand Canton No. 1, which elected W. A. Stephenson clerk,
and Nelson Wilcox accountant.

Rising Star Lodge No. 8, Rebekah Degree, I. 0. O. F., was organ-
ized December 22, 1871, with seventv-one members. Its first officers
were: P. G. William S. Hunt, N.'G.; Mrs. Ellen Gilman, V. G.;
Martha A. Hunt, R. S. ; Mrs. W. Roth, P. S. ; Julia Patterson, T.

Germania Lodge No. 38, Rebekah Degree, I. O. O. F., was organ-

258 HISTOEY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ized April 27, 1876, with charter officers as follows: A. Heilbron
(P. G.), N. G.; Mrs. Anna C. Greisel, V. G.; Mrs. Julie Fisher, R. S.;
Mrs. Fredericke Newman, F. S. ; Mrs. Amilie Meckfessel, T. ; also,
C. F. G. Salle, P. G. ; F. Fisher, S. Morris, P. G. ; Mrs. Dora Morris,
John Bolze, P. G.

Capital City Rebekah Lodge No. 160, I. 0. 0. F., was instituted
September 3, 1890, by Grand Master John Glasson, with eighty char-
ter members, eighteen of whom still retain their membership. The
membership at present is two hundred seventy-five. The first officers
elected were: Delia Pettit, N. G. ; Alice Seadler, V. G. ; Mary Mur-
ray, recording secretary; Mary Moore, financial secretary; Annie
McCaw, treasurer. The present officers are: Mabel Gordon, N. G. ;
Emma Brady, V. G. ; Emma Gregory, recording secretary; Mary
Mills, financial secretary; Jennie Washburn, treasurer.

Sacramento Rebekah Lodge No. 232, I. 0. 0. F., was instituted
March 29, 1898, with twenty-six charter members, and the member-
ship at present is one hundred forty-two. The first officers elected
were: Laura Label, P. N. G. ; Rose E. Schmitt, N. G. ; Rose E.
Futterer, V. G. ; Lavinia Broughton, recording secretary; Emma E.
Reinersman, financial secretary; Katherine Futterer, treasurer. The
appointed officers were : Annie M. Schmidt, Ward. ; Carrie Gruhler,
Cond. ; Gustave Kortstein, 0. G. ; Josie Reinerman, I. G. ; Mary A.
Mayhen, R. S. N. G. ; Amelia Meckfessel, L. S. N. G. ; Carrie Popert,
R. S. V. G. ; Josephine Lakin, L. S. V. G. ; Ida A. Ohnstead, chaplain.

Oak Park Lodge No. 5, I. 0. 0. F., was instituted April 29, 1905,
by D. D. G. M. David F. Fox, with Weeden G. Conklin, P. G.; James
McDougal. P. G.; Frank L. McGrew, William H. Dymond, W. A.
Bird, William E. Cole, P. G. ; Alexander Orr and M. A. Jenkins,
charter members. The first officers elected were: James McDougal,
A. P. G.; William E. Cole, N. G.; William H. Dymond, V. G.;
W. G. Conklin, secretary; Alexander Orr, treasurer. Twenty-four
candidates were initiated on the night of its institution. The mem-
bership at present is one hundred.

Union Degree Lodge, No. 3, I. 0. 0. F., was organized October 7,
1853, with a number of members, but was discontinued some time
during the '80s.

The Veteran Odd Fellows Association of Sacramento was organ-
ized in 1873 by a call of several veteran Odd Fellows in this city.
In order to be eligilile for membership one must have been an Odd
Fellow for twenty years and be a member of some lodge, in good
standing. The Odd Fellows' General Relief Committee consists of
three members from each lodge, to attend to the wants of transient
members of the order who may be in need. The Odd Fellows' Temple
Association was preceded by the "Hall Association," incorporated
June 25, 1862, with a capital stock of $60,000, iafterwards increased
to $80,000, purchased the St. George hotel building at the corner of

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 259

Fourth and J streets and fitted it up and kept it for several years
as an Odd Fellows lodge and business block. July 26, 1869, the
trustees of the lodges and encampment met and organized the present
Temple Association and purchased a lot for the erection of a temple.
The result was the erection of the fine four-story building at Ninth
and K streets, which was at that time the finest structure in the city,
with the exception of the Capitol. The Association also owns a fine
plat in the City Cemetery, adjoining the Masonic Cemetery plat.

Sacramento Lodge No. 2189, G. U. 0. of O. F., (colored) was
organized on July 14, 1881, with thirty-one members. The first
officers were: F. T. Bowers, P. N. F. ; E. Brown, N. F.; D. A. John-
son, P. N. G.; B. A. Johnson, N. G.; R. J. Fletcher, V. G.; H. H.
Williams, E. S. ; R. H. Small, P. H. ; Q. H. Guinn, W. T. ; R. C. Fer-
gaison, W. C. The executive authority for this order was derived
from the national body, under a sub-committee of management lo-
cated at Philadelphia and acting in harmony with the order in Eng-
land.

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS

The Knights of Pythias erected a fine hall at the northwest corner
of Ninth and I streets, which was dedicated July 4, 1889. It is 40x90
feet, four stories high, and fitted up for the lodge, drill and lecture
rooms, and a banquet hall.

Sacramento Division No. 7, Uniform Rank, Knights of Pythias,
was instituted in October, 1882, with fifty-four charter members.
The first officers were: James A. Davis, commander; John W. Guth-
rie, lieutenant commander; Theodore Schumacher, herald; Frank H.
Kiefer, recorder; George H. Smith, treasurer; George B. Katzenstein,
sentinel; Joseph T. Keepers, guard; Charles E. Leonard, standard
bearer.

Sacramento Lodge No. 11, K. of P., was organized December 2.
1869, with a large membership, the following being the officers : G. W.
Wallace, C. C. ; J. H. Sullivan V. C; S. Pearl, Prelate; Frank W.
Marvin, K. of R. and S.; R. W. Jackson, M. of F.; J. E. Goods,
M. of E.

Columbia Lodge No. 42, K. of P., was organized April 21, 1877,
with J. W. Guthrie, P. C; A. J. Vermilva, "C. C; P. J. Spacher,
V. C. ; S. A. Wolfe, P. ; John McFetrish, K. of R. and S. ; 0. H. P.
Sheets, Jr., M. of F.; Robert Pettit, M. of E.; W. E. Lugg, L G.;
W. E. Oughton, 0. G. ; also, J. Stubbs, M. Odell, J. Goddard, William
Neidhart and W. Kay.

Confidence Lodge No. 78, K. of P. was organized August 28, 1882.
with officers as follows: J. F. Lucas, P. C; J. A. Baker, C. C;
A. V. Bovne, V. C; F. H. Kiefer, Prelate; A. J. Plant, M. at A.;
W. B. Rodgers, K. of R. and S. ; J. H. Smith, M. of E.

Three of the Sisters having heard that Mrs. C. L. C. Lawrence,

260 HISTORY OF SACEAMENTO COUNTY

S. M. of E. and C, would pass through Sacramento on her way to
Los Angeles, where she was to institute the first Temple of Pythian
Sisters, conceived the idea that as long as Sacramento was the Capital
of the state, why not also have the first Temple of Pythian Sisters
there. A committee met Mrs. Lawrence at the train and persuaded
her to stop over and institute this Temple. This was on the morning
of December 17, 1889. On the evening of the same day, the first
Temple of Pythian Sisters in the state of California was instituted
in this city, in Castle Hall, corner of Ninth and I streets. California
Temple No. 1 had a charter membership of fifteen Sisters and eight
Knights. Georgia Guthrie, who died July 22, 1909, was the first
M. E. C. of the Temple and was also the first Grand Chief of the
order in this state. Of those who signed the charter at the institution
of the Temple the following are still members: Sallie Wolf, Delia
Pettit, Emma Schumacher, Mary Alvord Fitzgerald, J. J. C. Fitz-
gerald and J. W. Guthrie.

California Temple has the honor of having had five Sisters elected
to the highest office in the state, that of Grand Chief. They were as
follows: Georgia Guthrie, Sallie Wolf, Wessie Katzenstein, Mary
Alvord Fitzgerald and Maude Berry Sheehan.

I. o. R. M.

Cosimmes Tribe No. 14, I. 0. E. M., was organized October 19,
1867.

Eed Jacket Tribe No. 28, I. 0. R. M., was organized October 7,
1869, with officers as follows: S. Pearl, Sachem; M. T. Brum, S. Sag.;
P. Gushing, J. Sag.; W. T. Crowell, C. of E.; George A. Putnam,
K. of W.

Owosso Tribe No. 39, L 0. E. M., was organized March 25, 1871,
with sixty-six charter members. The first officers were: Matthew
E. Johnson, Sachem; Ed. M. Martin, Sen. Sag.; A. C. Freeman, Jun.
Sag. ; Will J. Beatty, C. of E. ; Daniel E. Alexander, K. of W. ; George
Y. Yount, financial secretary; George A. White, prophet.

Eed Cloud Tribe No. 41, I. 0. E. M., was instituted November
13 and 18, 1871, with over seventy names on the charter list. The
first officers were : Thomas Sullivan, sachem ; E. A. Eenwick, Sen.
Sag.; W. Harper, Jun. Sag.; J. J. Carter, C. of E. ; William Huller,
K. of W.; W. A. McNaughton, F. C.

Wenonah Council No. 2, Degree of Pocahontas, I. 0. E. M., was
organized in October, 1887, with forty-one members.

Juniata Council No. 5, Daughters of Pocahontas, I. 0. E. M., was
organized July 9, 1888, with twenty-nine members.

Sacramento Stamm No. 124 U. 0. E. M., was organized October
18, 1888, with charter members and officers as follows: K. F. Wie-
meyer, 0. Ch.; F. Engehardt, U. Ch.; C. Schmidt, B. Ch.; E. Nobeh

HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY 261

seci'etary; J. Suverkrupp, treasurer; George W. Derman, W. Kubnle,
Charles Sold, George Schmeiser, Charles Boettcher, and W. Braun.

A. o. u. w.

Union Lodge No. 21, A. O. U. W., was organized February 9, 1878,
with thirty-eight charter members, and the first officers were: M. T.
Brewer, P. M. W. ; C. B. Kellogg, M. W. ; T. W. Sheehan, F. ; George
T. Bush, 0. ; E. J. Gregory, R. ; Felix Tracy, receiver ; John F. Farns-
worth. Fin. ; Robert Frazer, guard. The lodge is a large and pros
perous one.

Sacramento Lodge, No. 80, A. 0. U. W., was instituted February
8, 1879, with a large list of charter members. The first officers were :
John F. Farnsworth, P. M. W. ; James M. Henderson, M. W. ; Edward
I. Robinson, 0. ; George B. Katzensteiu, R. ; M. R. Beard, Fin. ;
C. H. Stevens, receiver ; John W. Guthrie, G. ; W. H. H. Willev, I. W. ;
W. I. Wallace, 0. W.

Lily of the Valley Lodge No. 11, Degree of Honor, A. O. U. W.,
was organized in 1882, with thirty-three charter members.

Walhalla Grove No. 6, U. A. 0. D., was organized August 10,
1866, and incorporated June 13, 1874. The charter members and
officers were: Anton Menke, N. A.; C. H. Krebs, V. A.; Theodore
Even, secretary; Jacob Keeber, treasurer; C. C. Haydeu, M. Kestler
and J. Acker.

Union Grove No. 6, U. A. 0. D., was organized in 1885. Capi-
tal City Grove No. 66, U. A. 0. D., was organized April 14, 1887,
with thirty-six members. Fidelity Grove No. 31, U. A. 0. D., organ-
ized in 1878, was consolidated with Walhalla Grove, May 1, 1888.
Sacramento Druidic Circle No. 1, was a society for women, instituted
April 7, 1872, but was soon permitted to dissolve.

N. s. G. w.

The Native Sons of the Golden West is an order originated by
Gen. A. M. Winn in San Francisco in 1875. He had thought, while
acting as marshal of a procession July 4, 1869, that a company of
young Californians would make an interesting part of the procession.
The idea was in harmony with the times, as the rapid growth of the
order soon proved. It soon became an influential fraternal and bene-
ficial society. The designation of each local organization is "parlor,"
indicating its refined and social character. The order celebrates an-
nually the anniversary of California's admission into the Union. Its
founder was the first mayor of Sacramento, and his body was buried
in the Pioneers' plat in the City Cemetery, where a monument to his
memory was unveiled on Thanksgiving Day, 1887.

Sacramento Parlor No. 3, N. S. G. W., is one of the oldest Parlors

262 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

in the stcate, having been organized March 22, 1878, with the following
officers and charter members: Benjamin O'Neil, president; John C.
Luce, first vice-president; Edward B. Carson, second vice-president;
James P. McGinnis, third vice-president; Edward R. Knox, R. S. ;
William Rider, F. S. ; Clarence E. Parker, treasurer; Da^dd M. Mad-
dux, marshal; Henry Steinmiller, Thomas W. O'Neil, and Martin
Coffey, executive committee. Other charter members were: H. C.
Chipman. Joseph Maddux, George Steinmiller, Thomas O'Brien, Wil-
liam O'Brien, Joseph J. Maguire, Fred Kidder, George Adams and
John Feeney.

Sunset Parlor No. 26, N. S. G. W., was instituted January 21,
1884, with forty members. Both Sacramento and Sunset Parlors
are now large and prosperous. Calafia Parlor No. 22, N. D. G. W.,
was organized in November, 1887, with one hundred nine members
and now has a large membership. La Bandera Parlor No. 112 and
Sutter Parlor No. 117 were instituted in 1900.

OTHER OEDEES

California Lodge No. 1580, K. of H., was organized April 22,
1879, by Harmon Gregg, with forty charter members, the following
being the first officers elected : Grove L. Johnson, P. D. ; Edward F.
Aiken, D. ; Norman S. Nichols, V. D. ; John N. Larkin, A. D. ; Israel
Luce, C.

Unity Lodge No. 2088, K. of H., was instituted March 1, 1880,
with thirty-nine charter members.

Harmony Lodge No. .399, K. and L. of H. ; Equity Lodge, No.
1219, K. and L. of H., and Olive Branch Lodge, K. and L. of H.,
were organized later.

Pioneer Council No. 54, American Legion of Honor, the first coun-
cil in the state, was instituted December 18, 1879, with thirty-eight
charter members. J. M. Henderson was the first commander and Mrs.
N. S. Bntterfield, vice-commander.

Court Capital No. 6742, A. 0. F., was organized January 17, 1881,
with forty-three charter members, Henry Longton, C. V. Court Sac-
ramento No. 6861, A. 0. F., was organized Jime 30, 1882. Court
Sutter No. 7246. A. 0. F., was instituted later. The Foresters of Sac-
ramento were the first in the state to erect a building of their own.
It is located on I street between Seventh and Eighth.

Friendship Council No. 65, 0. C. F., was organized February 21,
1882, with twenty-five members. Sacramento Council No. 96, 0. C. F..
was organized September 4, 1884, with about fifty charter members.

Division No. 1, Ancient Order of Hibernians, was organized Jan-
nary 31, 1870, P. A. Murphy, priest. It was re-organized later. Di-
vision No. 2, Ancient Order of Hibernians, was organized in the '80s,
but soon discontinued.

The Young Men's Institute, Branch No. 11, one of the first to

HISTORY OP SACRAMENTO COUNTY 263

organize in the state, was started August 8, 1885, at old St. Rose's
ball, where the present postoffice building stands. There were fifty
charter members, which soon increased to one hundred. D. J. Long
was president, R. E. Murray first vice-president, Joseph McGuire
second vice-president, T. T. Wiseman recording secretary, Benjamin
Neary financial secretary and James O'Reilly treasurer. Branch No.
27, Young Men's Institute, was organized in their hall May 7, 1886,
with thirty-one charter members and T. W. O'Neil president. Young
Ladies' Institute No. 17 has a large membership.

Etham Lodge No. 37, I. 0. B. B., was organized June 23, 1859,
by Grand Lodge Deputy Jacob VogelsdorfT, with Joseph Davis presi-
dent.

The first organization of the Hebrew Benevolent Association was
in December of 1851 and the society was incorporated in February,
1854.

Governor Leland Stanford Camp No. 11, Sons of Veterans, was
organized July 11, 1887, with eighteen members. Among the first
officers were P. H. Dodge, captain, William Kellogg first lieutenant
and William H. Larkin second lieutenant.

The Veterans of the Mexican war were organized at the Orleans
house June 5, 1876. The first officers elected were as follows: John
Domingos, president; Fred Chamberlain, vice-president; Peter Mc-
Graw, treasurer ; and Joseph Sims, secretary. Joseph Sims is the only
one of the charter members now living, so far as the writer knows.

The Sacramento Turnverein was organized June 2, 1854, with
Theodore Steudeman, president; George Meyer, vice-president; J.
W. Lehmann, secretary; Phil Kitz, treasurer; H. Lux, first turn
leader ; J. Knauth, second turn leader ; R. Nobel, steward, and twenty-
three other members. In 1859 the society erected a brick building on
K street between Ninth and Tenth, costing $14,000 and known as
Turner Hall.

Benbow Lodge No. 229, Sons of St. George, organized in March,
1887, was designed to take the place of the British Mutual Benefit
and Social Society, which had been organized in 1877, but had gone
out of existence. The society admitted to membership Englishmen,
the sons and grandsons of Englishmen. It was discontinued, as was
Victoria Lodge No. 1, Daughters of St. George. They have been re-
]ilaced by Victoria Lodge, which is prosperous.

The Robert Burns Scottish Benevolent Association was organized
in November, 1871, to relieve natives of Scotland who might be in
need. It was succeeded by the Caledonian Society of Sacramento,
incorporated in November, 1888, and which admits as members Scotch-
men, sons and grandsons of Scotchmen.

The Independent Order of Good Templars found its way to Cali-
fornia in 1855, a lodge being organized in Santa Cruz on the 22nd
of February of that year. Sylvan Lodge No. 2 was instituted in Sac-

264 HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY

ramento September 16, 1856, and in 1860 a convention was called here
for the purpose of forming a Grand Lodge. It was instituted May
29, of that year. The order grew rapidly throughout the state and
for many years the headquarters of the Grand Lodge was in Sacra-
mento. The Rescue, the official paper of the order, was published
here. Sylvan Lodge is now the oldest lodge on the coast. Capitol
Lodge No. 51, I. 0. G. T., was organized December 12, 1861, became
extinct in 1876, but April 2, 1879, an entire new organization with
a new charter was formed, which assumed the same name and number.
The I. 0. G. T. Bands of Hope (juvenile organizations) were formed
in this city and known as Sacramento No. 56, Capitol No. 91 and
California No. 163. Several divisions of the Sons of Temperance and
a Father Mathew Total Abstinence Society also were organized here
and flourished for some years, but were finally absorbed by other
teniijerance organizations.

Sacramento Grange No. 12, Patrons of Husbandry, was organized
December 4, 1867, with the following officers and members : W. S.
Manlove, worthy master; I. N. Hoag, w. overseer; E. F. Aiken,
w. lecturer; J. Holland, steward; G. F. Rich, a. steward; R. William-
son, chaplain; A. S. Greenlaw, treasurer; William Haynie, secretary;
R. S. Lockett, g. k.; Mrs. W. S. Manlove, Ceres; Mrs. I. N. Hoag,
Pomona; Mrs. E. F. Aiken, Flora; Mrs. J. Holland